Interim administrator greeted by locked doors

When S Mohan, the former Supreme Court judge charged with the task of being the interim administrator in charge of the affairs of the Indian Board, arrived in Mumbai on Saturday morning, he was in for a rude shock. He proceeded to the office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India shortly before noon - and, after finally locating the office in Stadium House at the Cricket Club of India, was greeted by a big padlock.

"Oh, the doors are locked," he exclaimed to the few journalists gathered to see how the interim administrator would take charge of his duties. When one pressman asked him if he was shocked or surprised by the fact that the office was closed, he could only reply: "I feel sorry. My good wishes are with the team. If this is the way a former Supreme Court judge is treated, you can draw your own conclusions."

Mohan insisted that he had not planned to deal with the purely cricket affairs of the board. "I don't intend to interfere with the cricketing part. I only meant to look into the administration," he said. He added that he came to meet people concerned with the board office and explain the scope of the Madras high-court order. He was also going to inform the various state associations of his appointment as interim administrator.

The Board's office is usually open from 10am to 1pm on Saturdays, according to a notice outside the office. But apparently a high-ranking official ordered the office to remain closed, and declared two days' leave late on Friday evening. Mohan may be unfamiliar with the workings of the board, but he is not a complete stranger to cricket - he played for the Triplicane Club in Chennai in the late 1940s as an offspinner.