Serve the game before entering the political ring

The much-anticipated Mumbai Cricket Association elections are over and done with save the issue about whether Sharad Pawar can take charge of the association after senior politician Gopinath Munde approached the city civil court to appeal against the rejection of his nomination. Munde was rejected because he is not a resident of Mumbai.

The number of politicians entering Mumbai cricket is on the rise. The presence of a few politicians is not such a bad thing because the sport needs the influence of politicians to get things working on the administrative floor. But a body cannot be overflowing with power because it could lead to groupism.

If politicians are so keen on joining the glamourous cricket bandwagon, they must serve the game in some form before throwing their hat in the ring at election time. It cannot be right if politicians are made representatives of clubs one day and the next thing the cricket fraternity discovers that they are asked to vote for them.

To enjoy an ideal situation, the MCA will have to change its constitution so that only people who have served Mumbai cricket will stand a chance to be voted for important posts. Why don't we see politicians coming out and doing something worthwhile for the maidans and then standing for elections after the task is completed? Cricket has become a very glamourous platform to be on. Those who are power-hungry don't have to do a lot to become cricket administrators.

This is a huge, black hole in the system which must be covered by the MCA. Pawar has been credited for his contribution to Mumbai cricket over the last 13 years. He must now take his might to a different level by finding ways to rope in the best brains in Mumbai cricket to prepare a road map. The Cricket Improvement Committee that he famously formed at the start of the millennium in the MCA no longer exists.

In many ways, Mumbai cricket has to go back to the drawing board. At the same time, hours of work on the field must outweigh the time spent in the conference room at ‘D' Road, Churchgate.
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