Indian cricket is now an arena for astonishing conflict of interest. In the name of “making enough” in their prime years, players and administrators (and others outside the boundary) are involved so many kinds of wheels within wheels, deals within wheels that it no longer boggles the mind.
The chairman of the selection committee K. Srikkanth, for instance,was the man in charge of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, which incidentally is owned by the BCCI president N. Srinivasan. KSCA chief Anil Kumble is also the “mentor” of Royal Challengers Bangalore, etcetera.
Now, B.K. Venkatesh Prasad, the former medium pacer, who is an assistant coach with RCB, is testing the conflict law to its limit. He has taken up coaching the Uttar Pradesh cricket team, which is run by the BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, who is also a minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet.
Problem is Venkatesh Prasad is a prominent functionary on the Karnataka state cricket association (KSCA).
Which means, a player who has won an election to manage Karnataka cricket is going to be coaching a rival side, which may face his home-state. Prasad can argue that this gives him a chance to hone his coaching skills, etc, but are our cricketers having their bread buttered on all sides, including the edges? Or is the great game above such parochialism?
churumuri 
oh, please, please rise above such extremely narrow minded crap! aren’t there journalists working for outstation media? aren’t majority of those working in the ITeS industry serving ‘outsiders’? the case with bcci president and chairman of selection committee is certainly one that involves serious conflict of interest. is prasad bringing some cricketer from UP to play in karnataka ranji team or RCB? is this even an issue worth a churumuri poll or even mentioning in these pages? most importantly, should churumuri be so narrow like the pub and farm house attackers, or is it just a case of being bored outta your wits?
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again, if you are bored, perhaps you can look at the number of defamation cases filed by tamil nadu chief minister against media houses for merely reporting the allegations that other political leaders are raising. i gather it is 10 so far in 8 months. 10! for just doing your work! and here you are wondering if prasad should or should not coach UP, MP or crAP!
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Prior to casting my vote of Yes, I was unaware that Venky is an office-bearer of KSCA. In this context, to those objecting to an office-bearer of an association becoming a national coach, they need to be reminded that in the past several players-turned-administrators had coached the state and national squads. Ghulam Ahmed, Aibara, Tarapore, Nazareth, Vasu Paranjape were some of these worthies. Perhaps, at the national level, Hemu Adhikari, one of the best coaches India ever had unlike the modern fad to have a fair skinned foreigner, was an office-bearer of either MCA or CCI.
As such, it would be ideal for Venkatesh Prasad to be a coach, leave alone the RCB, KKR and all those teams of T20 which in fact is not a game of a cricket but a tamasha similar to the gladiators battling out in the arena of Rome. Of course, in that era there were no semi-clad Cheer Girls to gyrate their hips.
In case, I am wrong in my views, fellow readers are welcome to correct me.
Suresh Panje
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Poor Venkatesh Prasad, he did a course in UK to be a coach and then ditched by BCCI. Now he has to go all the way to UP!! What a tragedy!!
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Any sport including cricket is above such parochialism.
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Anil Kumble and Srinath had a well-publicised, police case, with all proof, for shocking fraud and massive money laundering during a few major cricket match’s in Blr. Matter was quietly and conveniently settled, thanks to most corrupt politicians in Blr.
Venkatesh Prasad had a police case (among so many) for personal attack, bullying, rowdisim and threatening a innocent lady, innocent child and SI in the stadium’s car park. Matter quietly hushed-up and forgotten now.
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There is no such thing as conflict of interest in India. It’s pure greed and selfishness. Morality, integrity,hard work, selflessness are alien to Indians. I, me & myself is the mantra. To hell with the rest. This typifies India.The above is true of the majority in India
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Oh come on… What is wrong with that! It is a silly question. Venky is a professional and if someone wants to utilise his services, it is fine. After all he has to survive. It is not as if he has betrayed his home state. Did not Sandeep Patil coach Kenya (which reached upto Semi-final in the World Cup cricket)?
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The point is, can he give sufficient time for the administrator’s job in KSCA while still being a coach for any Ranji team ? (Be in Karnataka or any team that ends up facing Karnataka) I feel he should concentrate on one job at a time
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Venky coaching ..etc is not only the issue…
Who exactlly are we talking about?
Most recently.Venky (Venkatesh Prasad) proved his brute personality and attitude with a senior police official innocently doing his duty in the KSCA stadium. All the witness said it was acute rowdy & bullisim with extremely vulgar language (and cheapo mentality). Thanks to his most recent recorded police case (with clear Video evidence) in the Cubbon Park station (all in public domain), our super-star Venky is officially still under so-called investigation.
(No issues, these so called stars will fly in and out of the special VVIP Exit/Entry in Blr airport with no one to question, In fact, even though the so-called international airport in BLR is actually an industrial shed, the politicians/VIPs have special waiting area, with a/c pantry, bar with Old Monk Rum and toilet too! Just next to the only lift to immigration upstairs)
Let us accept it, these pseudo sports stars have also been in close league with well-know crooked politicians and black money agents, Krishna, Chidda, Raguvendra, Patel, Kirmani, Kharge, MTR owner, Mallya,. Khoday, Reddy, Wodeyar and so many others that everyone in Blr knows is so well politically connected and extraordinarily crooked.
Alas: The executive and judiciary behaves as if totally ignorant…
ONE MAJOR RECENT CORRECTION: Not ALL in judiciary!
Most recently some genuine and courageous souls like N.K. Sudhindra Rao, (perhaps Justice Ananda Byrareddy too) have proven to be extraordinary honest and bold! Will the media and publich pls pls notice ?
May all of us pray that such a new honest-to-the-core tribe increases and consolidates despite the odds and temptations from billionaire crooks for whom a 100 crore kickback for a mere bail in ‘cash’ is peanuts!
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The whole Indian cricket starting from BCCI has the foundation on fraud,deceit,double talk and skull duggery.Don’t waste time writing about them.
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Forget who coaches whom in Indian cricket, we have not produced a fast bowler . Nearest to that being javagal srinath.
Look at the sporting prowess of sushil Kumar, 6-8 matches in a span of 2 hours, dangerous contact sport of wrestling, medals in successive Olympics. Lets stop talking about highly overpaid Indian cricket.
Salute sportsman like sushil Kumar —- greatest Indian sportsman and a source of inspiration for crores of unsophisticated, hard working, humble rural Indians.
Sport is about FIGHTING SPIRIT, athletes like sushil, yogeshwar, Mary kom have shown it.
IPL and Indian cricket off late has been a case of FLOWING SPIRIT, in large quantities in late night parties.
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H Gowda – Don’t blame the persons. It is our stupid system and the socalled ‘long Arm of LAW’ which allows persons to act in that matter. Imagine the same person acting in similar manner in other country. He would have been in jail. I remember having read in newspaper that Tony Graig spent six months in jail in Australia for drunken driving. Would it ever happen in our country? No. Why? Not because we are not law abiding people, but because we just do not have law or if there is any, it is not implemented. Naturally, people are allowed to indulge in all sorts of things.
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ಹೋಗ್ಲಿ ಬಿಡಿ ಸಾರ್….
ನೀವೇನಾದರೂ ಅವರನ್ನ ಕೆಣಕಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ್ರೆ, ಅವರು, ಅವರ ಹೆಂಡತಿ, ಮಗ, ಮನೆಯವರು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನ ಅಟ್ಟಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬರ್ತಾರೆ…. ಹುಷಾರು…. ನಿಮಗೇನಾದರೂ ಇದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಪೋಲಿಸೆನವರನ್ನ ಕೇಳಿ :-)
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@dr ramesh,
Check this – http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3751107.ece
The other side of the boxer …
~*~
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Nastika, thanx for the article.
This boxer seems to be ALSO RAN type, who might have qualified by the grace of officials in the federation.
But what I read about sushil and yogeshwar was that they had a strict, disciplined work ethics and commitment, and were good ambassadors for Indian sport.
What happened to cricketers tested positive for drugs during ipl ? Will BCCI scuttle the probe? Answer is yes.
Many famous sportsmen in USA and UK have been sent to prison for drunken drive, because for them law enforcement is important, but BCCI is a super constitutional authority and Indian laws donot apply .
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On the eve of Indian Independence Day, the real life coaches and gold medallists are:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-21/hyderabad/32776177_1_dasaradharami-reddy-t-pattabhirama-rao-gali-janardhan-reddy
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/a-section-of-judiciary-is-corrupt-mamata-banerjee/articleshow/15493565.cms
http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/yeddyurappa-and-kin-granted-relaxation-in-bail-condition-254781
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Nastika – I read the article and the two presented two distinct class in our society.One is a rustic indian male,many of whom are sex starved living in an environment where the women are covered head to toe.This rustic Indian gets an opportunity thanks to a sport that too a rustic sport where physical fitness and attributes plays a major part.Now having liberated from the rustic village , he finds the girls are exposing lot more than he has seen in his rustic village and then they are also not shy in talking to any male even the rustic male.It makes him thinking.The brain is confused but the cajones are not.In this mood, he comes across a liberated westernised Indian woman who must have seen it all or at least heard it all.She is not too amused but to me the rustic indian male though with rough edges in every way has come out with lot more honesty.All he needs is a girl and someone to smooth en his rough social skills.If you have read the stories of rustic american or european men, their stories are with lot more rough edges than this rustic Indian.Get off the high perch lady!!
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Nastika and Pramila – I read both the articles. What these stories have got to do with Venky’s plan to coach U.P. team and his public behaviour?!!
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@shiv,
If that guy turned out to be a gay, I hope you wouldn’t mind sitting in the next seat and listening to his story.
@Sanjeeva,
if didn’t notice, somewhere down the line, the discussion shifted from cricket to boxing.
~*~
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@Sanjeeva 6 months for drink driving in aus good joke mate who enlighned u on this or did they see flower on ur ears :) :) i am here in aus for more than 15 years never heard that ha ha !!!
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! Shesha – Well, this is what I remember to have read in the news paper. Anyway, my point was that if the socalled VIPs act in bullying manner in any other country, the Law acts against such persons, whereas, here we do not. If you say, no, no in Australia too “VIPs” are respected and not the Law, then you may be right, because you are in Australia for 15 years.
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