Click to play videoThe racial abuse charge against Harbhajan Singh threatened to derail India’s tour of Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) went to the extent of declaring that if the three-match ban on the Indian off-spinner were not lifted, the team would pull out of the tour. The ban was finally quashed after New Zealand High Court Judge John Hansen ruled that Harbhajan did not racially abuse Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds.
It is no secret that India is now the economic superpower in cricket. The BCCI’s income in 2006-07 was Rs 650 crore, which was more than half of the game’s income. Global media rights for cricket matches to be held in India between 2006-10 were awarded for Rs 2,191 crore to Nimbus. The official kit sponsorship deal for 2006-10 with Nike has been signed for Rs 197 crore. Air Sahara earned the right to be the official sponsor of the Indian team for Rs 280 crore. IPL broadcast rights for 2008-18 were given to Sony for Rs 4104 crore.
But after the Harbhajan row, other cricketing nations feel that India is becoming a bully and using its money power to browbeat other boards.
Famous cricket writer Peter Roebuck wrote, "India's performance in chartering a plane to take the players back home in the event of an independent judge finding against them in the Harbhajan Singh case counted amongst the most nakedly aggressive actions taken in the history of a notoriously fractious game. If this is the way the Indian board intends to conduct its affairs hereafter, then God help cricket."
And the topic of discussion on CNN-IBN’s Face The Nation on Thursday was 'Is India cricket's big bully?'
Former cricketer Yashpal Sharma, Sydney Morning Herald correspondent in New Delhi Matt Wade and Rahul Mehra, an advocate who filed a PIL about how the BCCI was mismanaging Indian cricket, took part in the discussion that was moderated by Sagarika Ghose.
Yashpal Sharma backed the BCCI’s approach on the Harbhajan issue.
"I feel the BCCI had to fight for the players’ right. How many times BCCI interferes when an Indian player is penalised? This was a totally different case altogether so the BCCI had a right to fight for this. If they would not have come out openly and aggressively, I think Indian cricket would have gone down," Yashpal said.
He went on to argue that the fight was not between two cricketers.
"They blamed Harbhajan of being racist and no Indian would tolerate. This was totally different and the entire nation was together. The players felt this was the time to fight for the rights. I think they were right for the cause," Yashpal said.
Matt Wade disagreed when it was pointed out that following the Harbhajan row; Australian media has also turned jingoistic and was accusing India of being a bully.
"I don’t think so. I think there is a recognition that the power in cricket has shifted. No longer is the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) the financial or the political hub. It has moved and I think Australians are quite comfortable with that. But I guess from an Australian point of view with India such a powerful force in cricket, with all that power, all that wealth and all those resources comes some responsibility. I think there was concern that as soon as the thing started to go bad, the threat of a withdrawal or a boycott, didn’t seem to be the leadership that we were hoping from Indian cricket," Wade said.
Rahul Mehra vociferously countered Wade’s arguments.
"Not at all. Why should we Indians be apologetic about being the economic superpower? That’s the ground reality and hats off to the BCCI for the first time. I am the most critical person as far as the BCCI is concerned, the way they manage themselves, the lack of transparency and their work. But this is the first time that the BCCI needs to be applauded and they have been forced by the media to go the way they went because every channel, ever newspaper article was creating an opinion poll. They were trying to gauge the public view whether India should withdraw and come back and 95 per cent said they should come back. Secondly he (Matt Wade) says that as a superpower there comes a responsibility. What responsibility? What have we done wrong? There is national esteem, national pride and honour involved there. How can somebody without any basis take four Australians on one side and a demigod in Sachin Tendulkar on the other side and say we don’t believe Tendulkar, we don’t believe inconclusive evidence but we believe those white men. Who are they? Are they god?” Mehra argued.
Pot calling kettle black?
So is the western world uncomfortable with assertion of rights by countries like India? Is it fair to expect India to be responsible when Australia, a superpower in cricket, have not been so? They have been foul mouthed, they sledge, use abusive language in the field.
"Well, people are very uncomfortable with that behaviour. Many people have called for captain Ricky Ponting to be sacked because of the behaviour of the players. I think no matter who you are and no matter what team it is, there is a certain responsibility that needs to be followed. Australia have been a power on the field but I think we are dealing with a change in the fulcrum of power and wealth of world cricket," Wade said.
Mehra did not agree that it was India’s duty to uphold the gentleman spirit of the game.
"I completely disagree because we need to understand how the game has originated. It was a gentleman’s game in late 1800s and early 1900s. It was a weekend game. Today it is economics that drives it. It is no more a weekend game where people would have a good time. And to respond to Matt, who says that Australians in general believe that Ricky Ponting should have apologised and not behaved in the way they behaved. But today Cricket Australia is not even apologetic. In fact they say that they are saddened by the fact the way events have unfolded. Maybe there is a complete disconnect between the masses and the establishment which is running cricket in Australia," Mehra said.
"I don’t agree with that. A lot of Australians still believe that a sportsperson is a role model. A lot of young people look up to them and certain behaviour is appropriate for them," Wade countered when asked if Australian jingoism is ok but not Indian jingoism.
"Don’t have double standards. Don’t consider black people or coloured people as lesser human beings," Mehra lashed out.
Tit-for-tat?
So are the Indians merely responding after being at the receiving end of racist insults from Australians and the English?
"That may be the case. But Australian fans are not comfortable with that. I think that there are certain standards of behaviour that sportsmen in Australia need to adhere too. The general feeling that emerged in this whole event is that sportsmen who are very highly paid are disconnected from the general community. The fans do have strong views," Wade reasoned.
"Apology for what? Imposition of fine on him (Harbhajan) is because he went to the court and conceded. Otherwise he would have come out scot-free. What he is saying is wrong is simply because Australian public hold cricketing conduct in the spirit of the game because of Sir Donald Bradman. He was a great ambassador of the game. Today Australia are led by Ricky Ponting who is a cheat. Who has been shown on television dropped the catch and appealed," Mehra concluded.
Final SMS Poll
Yes: 30 per cent.
No: 70 per cent.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.