Why Indian players could become pariahs
The refusal by India's cricketers to sign up to WADA rules and the endorsement by the country's cricket authorities mirror the realities of Indian sport
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
The refusal by India's cricketers to sign up to WADA rules and the endorsement by the country's cricket authorities mirror the realities of Indian sport. Boria Majumdar writing for the BBC website, believes the lack of an Olympic sporting culture in India - the country boasts a paltry 17 medals in 88 years of competing at the Games - is the reason for its colossal national ignorance about international sporting rules, especially anti-doping ones.
With cricket having a virtual monopoly over the Indian sportscape, the urge to protect the country's cricketers is paramount - even if it means ignoring global sporting realities.
And this is where the Indian cricket board could have played a more proactive role - it is the board's responsibility to explain to the players that they are part of a global sporting fraternity and need to act as such.
In his column on Dreamcricket.com, Suresh Menon says the BCCI-WADA dispute is a heart versus head issue. The heart says that players are entitled to their privacy, and security might be a valid point considering the threats some Indian players have received. However, the head says that this cannot be reduced to a question of individual convenience when larger issues are at stake.
If India are banned from future ICC tournaments (that means all international cricket), that would be too high a price to pay for what is at worst an inconvenience. Privacy and security are good arguments, but it is inconvenience that is at the bottom of the refusal to sign.
Indian cricket is becoming reflexively disposed towards standoffs. And the more weighty the powers gathered against it, the more inspired tend to be the BCCI’s statements of principle. This editorial piece from the Indian Express questions whether the BCCI is picking a fight where none need exist?