Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid caught in BCCI-CoA crossfire

The ongoing power struggle between the Supreme Court mandated Committee of Administrators and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has caused a host of problems for everyone involved with the two governing bodies. After conflicts regarding player contracts and BCCI expenses, the latest issue that came to light was that regarding two former Indian captains - Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid.

During the 2018 IPL, COA was faced with a tough decision as to whether Ravi Shastri, coach of India's senior team and Rahul Dravid, India A head coach, be allowed to commentate on matches. After a discussion, COA head Vinod Rai had suggested both could be listed as 'BCCI commentators'. However, the BCCI officials fought back against the same calling the COA's stance on Conflict of Interest as 'inconsistent' and 'insincere'. But before the IPL could begin, at a COA meeting on April 12th, the administrators decided against allowing Shastri and Dravid to commentate. 

"The COA will separately consider whether a submission should be made to the Honorable Supreme Court to relook at the conflict of interest provisions under the draft Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations of BCCI recommended by the Honorable Justice Lodha Committee ("New BCCI constitution") insofar as the same are not in the interests of Indian cricket," the minutes of the meeting read.

This attracted further criticism from the BCCI senior officials who later accused the CoA of double standards after the fact that the BCCI legal tangle itself resulted out of the conflict of interest situations.

"Since Dravid and Shastri are on annual BCCI contract and they were free during the IPL, COA were trying to see if their services could be maximised. Ultimately it was decided, not to pursue the matter in light of the current nature of conflict of interest guidelines," a BCCI source told India Today.