Is Bishan Singh Bedi's Extreme Anger Justified?
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2020-12-24 07:49:11
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
Bishan Singh Bedi is angry, very angry. Having fought a running war with the late Arun Jaitley over the affairs of the DDCA, the original turbanator (or should it be patkanator) is unable to digest the cricketing body's recent decision to install a life size statue of the politician at the hallowed Feroz Shah Kotla ground and renaming the ground as Arun Jaitley Stadium. Hence, Bedi has asked the DDCA to remove his name from the stand that was named in his honour and has also given up his DDCA membership.
There is no doubt that until he gave up cricket administration to devote his time exclusively to politics, Jaitley lorded over the DDCA. Not many were enamored of the way he ran things at the association. Bedi was one of his staunchest critics and accused him of reducing cricket and cricketers to pawns and running the DDCA like a business unit. But there are others who acknowledge Jaitley's immense contribution towards the sport in the capital. But the DDCA should not go the whole hog and should listen to Bedi and at least refrain from renaming the historic stadium.
But Bedi must also acknowledge that a man can wear many hats. The late Jaitley was a top notch lawyer in addition to being a politician and a sports administrator. Granted that he was not a cricket player but in India, sport is mostly run by people who have never played the game. Hence, Bedi's assertion that Jaitley's statue is more suitable for Parliament is wrong. Ideally, his statue can be put up at any place where he worked and excelled. If a cricketer excels in business after retirement, will it not be proper for his excellence to be recognized by a chamber of commerce?
As a cricketer, Bedi is entitled to demand more recognition for cricketers as they are the ones who play the game and bring glory to the nation. But good administrators (the late Jagmohan Dalmia, for one) also have a hand in bringing the sport to a level where the nation is able to compete with other nations on an equal footing. The public interest in cricket is as much due to the performance of the playing team as it is due to the untiring efforts of the administrators who work behind the scenes to schedule tournaments, get the necessary permissions from the government, organize world class events and ensure that the sport is well-funded and the players are well paid and looked after properly.
