MAC - A giant among cricket administrators

MA Chidambaram, who passed away in Chennai on Wednesday night at the age of 81 after a brief illness, was a giant among cricket administrators in the country. A prominent industralist, he evinced a keen interest in the game from an early age. His first foray into administration was as a promoter of club cricket in Madras in the forties. His shrewd business acumen, his dynamic qualities and genuine love for the game saw him rise rapidly and in 1956 he became president of the then Madras Cricket Association.

`MAC' as he was popularly and affectionately known, struck up a good personal and working rapport with S Sriraman, another dedicated official. Both of them had one common goal - the betterment of the game and the players. Whenever any issue would come up for discussion, they would only ask two all important questions - how will it benefit the game, how will it benefit the players.

For 30 years, from 1956 to 1986, Chidambaram as president and Sriraman as secretary were at the helm of affairs at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The durable partnership was broken only with Sriraman's elevation as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). In the meantime, however Chidambaram had already served a term as BCCI president from 1960 to 1963 and remained the TNCA president till 1988.

Chidambaram's tenure as Board chief was eventful, in keeping with his dynamic image of an administrator with courage and vision. Based on his own proposal, the Duleep Trophy was instituted in 1961. With growing disinterest in the Ranji Trophy championship, which was proving to be inadequate in developing top class talent, Chidambaram envisaged a high quality tournament which would witness razor sharp competition among the leading players in the country. Within a few years, the Duleep Trophy inter-zonal competition has surpassed the Ranji Trophy in popularity and came to be recognized as the premier national level competition in the country. The standard of play was high, it helped unearth the talent of the really gifted players and the matches were watched by huge crowds.

Chidambaram was greatly dismayed by the repeated failures of Indian batsmen against pace bowling. In 1962 he hit upon the idea of getting four West Indian fast bowlers to participate in domestic tournaments in India so that the batsmen could get valuable practice by playing against them. So it was that Charlie Stayers, Roy Gilchrist, Chester Watson and Lester King came to play in the 1962-63 domestic season. Each of them represented a zone and they also played for their respective states in the Ranji Trophy knock out competition. It was a unique and ambitious programme that did some good for Indian cricket.

At international meetings, Chidambaram was a forceful speaker when it came to representing Indian and Asian interests. He attended several meetings of the Imperial Cricket Conference (as it was then known) in London and his passionate interest and keen analyses saw Indian cricket earn a greater respect abroad. Calm and reassuring by nature, Chidambaram saw to it that the BCCI was not tainted by any controversy during his tenure.

Hardly had he laid down office as BCCI chief when he was appointed as the treasurer. If his three year tenure as Board President was eventful, his enduring tenure as treasurer left a deep impression where it mattered most - money matters. The BCCI finances were in a bit of a mess when he took over and there was very little money in the coffers. By shrewd and wise handling of the finances, by cutting costs and by encouraging sponsorship and marketing, Chidambaram, more than any other single individual, did the most to increase the BCCI's investments manifold and by the time he left the scene in the 80s, the Board's finances were in much better shape.

Chidambaram played a leading role in both acquiring the Chepauk ground on lease in the sixties, and in seeing that the ground got an imposing stadium. The foundation stone for the stadium which today bears his name was laid in February, 1971. When it was completed, the TNCA at a meeting took the unanimous decision to name the stadium after its long time president, no doubt in gratitude to his zeal in getting the magnificent structure built.

In retirement, Chidambaram was a revered patriarch. He led a simple and pragmatic life, shunning the spotlights. But he never lost his zest for the game and it was a proud moment for him last year when his son AC Muthiah was elected as the BCCI president.