Finally, BCCI goes down the contract road

Faisal Shariff

"It is the way ahead," Rahul Dravid had said about the contract system when the senior players presented it to Indian cricket boss A C Muthiah and other board members last August.

"The only way."

The contract system was item #13 on the agenda of the working committee, which assembled in Kolkata on Wednesday to decide its fate.

After a long debate, the committee accepted the proposal and the senior members of the Indian cricket team (Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar), who had pushed hard for the scheme, moved one step closer to tasting the fruits of their efforts.

The goal though is now clear -- performance becomes king, and the players will be given every incentive to play well, to produce results.

The shot of professionalism for the Indian team could not have been better timed. With the World Cup less than eight months away the incentive-based format will push the team members to earn their match fees.

A player once delved into the psyche of a cricketer in India to explain his predicament. He argued that every time he dived to field a ball or take a catch, there would be fear in his mind that if he injured himself, he would be out of the reckoning and lose out on his legitimate earnings.

Add to that the fear of being not considered for selection and the player argued that even if he did get injured, he would tend to hide the extent of his injury, rather than risk getting dropped.

If he were assured, he said, that injuries sustained in the line of duty would not result in a loss for him, he would be more prepared to take risks.

So, instead of having to worry about the next instalment for his motorcycle, the player could concentrate on honing his skills.

The move will also help iron out the inequities in the existing system. For instance, the playing eleven have been getting the same amount of money as the reserves. On the other hand, a player who was injured in the course of a game was left to fend for himself, paying his own medical and rehabilitation bills. Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble are two players to have suffered a lot on account of this lacuna in the board's policy.

Now with the board moving to put a contract system for the national side in place, it is imperative that it also takes the next important step and implements a similar system at the state level. With the amount that a Ranji player makes -- approximately Rs 36,000 in 12 matches annually -- in India, it is not looked upon as an attractive career option anymore.

Current board president Jagmohan Dalmiya deserves a round of applause for continuing the good work his predecessor Dr Muthiah had initiated.

A word of caution as well. There is a need to improve accountability across the board. Dalmiya now needs to insist on proper accounts from all the affiliated associations, which receive more than Rs 90 lakh per annum for developmental activities. There is no reason why a portion of this money cannot be earmarked for player payments -- after all, you cannot develop the game without first ensuring the well-being of the players.

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