The Good, Bad and Ugly ft. BCCI, Indian Football, and Fake News

The BCCI, being the richest cricket board in the world, has created a long list of enemies in the last few years as was evident in last year’s revenue distribution meeting when all other boards tried to screw their Indian counterparts. However, what came out this week was not just surprising but also heartwarming. On a radio show, Dwayne Bravo, who recently announced his retirement from the national team, revealed that when the Windies side had pulled out of the 2014 India tour due to contract troubles with their board, the BCCI had offered to pay their dues. What is even more surprising is that fact that this piece of information, which finally shows the BCCI in some good light, did not come out until Bravo revealed it a good four years later. 

While the Indian men’s cricket team was busy preparing for the Australia series, another Indian team were participating in an ICC event. After their sensational performance in last year’s ICC World Cup, the women’s team was on a high but the loss in the final of the Asia Cup appeared to take all the wind out of their sails. That being said, something felt different as the Women landed in the Caribbean for a World T20 this time. They started their campaign against New Zealand and secured a comprehensive 34 run win before brushing aside Pakistan and Ireland to set up a group topping clash against Australia. While most had predicted a close contest, it was anything but that as the Indian eves thrashed their Aussie counterparts to set up a 48 run win. With a semifinal spot booked, it finally looks like the team might be able to deliver a title for the country in the Women’s showpiece as well.

If there is one sport that gives India some hope ahead of any major world event it is Archery. India might not have won a medal at the Olympics but on the international stage, they are a team that is to be feared. However, the sport was in the news for an off-field matter recently as reports emerged that SAI is mulling to take action against archery coach Jiwanjot Singh. The matter at hand is that Singh had spoken against the Sports Ministry’s selection for the Dronacharya Award selection. Singh, who is held in high regard in Archery circles, had his name removed from awardees' list over a case of indiscipline that took place in 2015. Time and again we are seeing issues that should be sorted behind closed doors enter the public domain and not only does it put pressure on current stars but also dissuades youngsters from joining a sport that is riddled with controversies.

Donald Trump has turned the usage of the term fake news into somewhat a of a catchphrase. The problem with that is we tend to become more desensitized with anything that we hear again and again which leads to us thinking that the issue is a trivial one. While sports, particularly in India, have not had furthered problem so far, it appears we are in for a rough ride as well. Recently, a Mumbai tabloid had run a story claiming that the CoA had asked Virat Kohli to be more “humble” while speaking publicly following Kohli’s ill advised “Leave India” comments. The story gained enough traction, we covered it as well, that the BCCI had to step in and set the record straight. In a press release, the BCCI announced that “after consulting with the team management, (they) would like to rubbish the report and classify it as baseless.” As if there wasn’t enough pressure on the Indian team going to Australia, after losses in South Africa and England, the skipper now needs to deal with a true news that has been confirmed to be fake.