A joker called Mahindra !!
Many summers ago, Saurav Ganguly had called Mahindra a disgrace (if I remember correctly) to Indian cricket. Yesterday it appeared as if, he was not too much off the target. Though using Mohinder Amarnath's terminology of joker(he used it for selectors) or clown would have been more appropriate.
Here are excerpts from failed politician-turned-lousy-cricket administrators responses yesterday at press conference as reported in deiiferent articles in cricinfo.
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the issue of a spat between captain and coach that has threatened to cleave Indian cricket in two, was dismissed in four-and-a-half minutesRanbir Singh Mahendra, the president of the body that runs cricket in this country, cut a sorry figure, laughing at inappropriate moments, tripping over himself answering simple questions, and dodging the more forthright ones.
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The gravity of a confidential email from coach to employers being leaked seemed to be lost on Mahendra, who dismissed the matter saying no committee was needed to investigate this matter, and that the board "has its ways" of conducting its own investigations
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The key questions remained unanswered - were captain and coach sufficiently happy with the situation post the review meeting? Did the board really believe that the two could work together harmoniously? Has there been a softening of stance from coach on the grave misdemeanours he had attributed to the captain?
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He spoke like a clown would to a group of toddlers at a birthday party, expecting laughter at the right points, silence at others, and wonder and amazements at the revelations. When asked what was going to be done about the reported indiscipline in the team - a very, very serious matter - Mahendra retorted, "What should we do? Hang them?" If the board president believes indiscipline is a laughing matter, then you have to wonder what exactly goes on in his mind.
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"Don't put words in my mouth. The matter has been resolved amicably," said Mahendra, when it was put to him that the board was once again sweeping a delicate matter under the carpet. Allow yourself a chuckle, for it was only days ago that an acrimonious annual general meeting of the board was "adjourned amicably", after a whole day of haggling, court cases, counter cases, and mudslinging. Then, it was unclear what made Sharad Pawar's camp change their minds and "adjourn amicably". Now, it is unfathomable what could have prompted Chappell and Ganguly to resolve their issues in a similar manner
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At the press conference Mahendra, embarrassingly evasive and bumbling in the way he fielded questions, seemed to come to life on the question of Ganguly's faked injuries. "It was due to some miscommunication" was his curt comment, and if the force with which he said it was meant to preclude further questions it did just that.
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"Cricket should go forward," was the discovery that Mahendra seemed to have made following the committee meeting, and it was the repeated rejoinder with which he sought to disarm the more trenchant questioners in the assembled media.