Justice Lodha not happy with the turn of events within the dressing room and Board

The Justice Lodha Committee, with Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha at the helm, was formed to make a sea change in the functioning of BCCI, to check the corruption and red tape which has stained the game and tarnished the image of India in the cricketing fraternity. Transparency and smooth functioning of the board without any hegemony from a particular member was a key to the formation of the committee.

Justice Lodha has been closely tracking the developments of the ongoing spat between captain and coach which rather fuelled the sacking of Kumble as coach. Also, Mr Ramachandra Guha’s resignation also caught his eye. Speaking on this issue, he expressed concern on the functioning of the BCCI. He is unhappy at the clauses and norms not being followed by the members of the board.

BCCI in a mess

“Perhaps, the COA isn’t working very smoothly internally. At least Guha’s letter suggests that. If the reforms were taken forward which included the Conflict of Interest clauses, all this would not have taken place. The COA is empowered by the Supreme Court to implement the reforms and the mandate is to supervise,” said Lodha.

He expressed concern about the veto power some senior cricketers are using to their advantage. He reiterated Guha’s message in the letter that nobody is above the game, irrespective of how important an office a person holds.

“Virat (Kohli) is a good player. There is no doubt over it. But no person should be given absolute power. Whether it is a coach, COA or a player, no one should be above the game and all the stakeholders should know it well,” he told the press.

On Kohli-Kumble saga

Regarding the idea of looking for a new coach just because of a tiff between Virat and Kumble, the Supreme Court appointed judge vented his dissatisfaction at the timing of the unfolding of these silly events. He has enough faith in Kumble and backed him saying that there should be a harmony between the two people. Any sort of discord will have grave consequences on the atmosphere of the team.

“Even the timing of announcing the process for a new coach is wrong. It has unfolded at the wrong juncture. All these things lead to a mess. Our captain and coach are professionals and I am certain that they will not be involved in any incident that would harm the atmosphere of the team,” he opined.

Justice Lodha has a fondness for Kumble and he has a reason for that. Kumble has done wonders for the team in the past one year and he is happy at how the team is reaching new heights under the former spinner’s guidance. Looking at the record, he deserves an extension.

Kumble as a coach

“Given the kind of work he has done with the team over the past one year, Kumble is a very good coach. His achievements speak for themselves. He was given a one-year contract but deserves an extension. Even if the selection process for the coach would have been initiated, nothing adverse should have been said about the coach,” the former Cheif Justice of India said.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) is under tremendous pressure after being saddled with the onus for selecting a new coach. Justice Lodha voiced his concern on this saying that the ambience has been spoiled and the comfort level of the three gentlemen has been compromised.” The atmosphere is vitiated. The comfort level for the committee that is going to select the coach doesn’t seem too conducive,” he concluded.