The Board of Control for Cricket in India, composed of nominated members and concerned merely with gigantic schemes specially for overseas cricket fixtures, held a meeting recently at Delhi and it is gratifying to all cricket enthusiasts that they should plan such schemes for the betterment of Indian Cricket. But, for a moment, it is to be judged whether this – Board of Control is really empowered to act so independently as it is doing at present in all matters relating to Indian Cricket, and whether it is really representative of the voice of thousands of lovers of cricket in the country, which it professes to be. Bombay, the cradle of Indian cricket, Karachi, Rajputana, Bengal, Central Provinces and the U. P., and also a part of the Punjab, will testify that the present Board does not voice the united consent of all cricketers in these parts of the country. The present nominated member from Bombay does not represent the interests of all the leading clubs of the Bombay Presidency. Similarly, representatives from Karachi, U. P., Rajputana, Bengal and other Provinces are not elected representatives of cricketers there, but are merely nominated ones and therefore, their voice in the affairs of the Board is not the voice of all India. This has caused general dissatisfaction among many leading players and veterans in India, and the time has come when this question should be tackled seriously and the Board must understand that all local associations must have representatives who are duly elected. Representatives nominated by the Board cannot voice the sentiments or demands of the real cricketing community of India and this is why prominent centres like Bombay, Calcutta and Karachi are standing aloof.
Bengal has formed its Bengal Gymkhana to which nearly all the leading clubs of Calcutta are affiliated. The Bengal and Assam Cricket Association therefore merely represent the Eden Garden cricketers of Calcutta. The Rajputana Cricket Association only exists in name for not a single cricketer was considered worthy of the last trials either at Patiala or Lahore. There seems to be no cricket association in Central India except that, C. K. Naidu from Indore is one of the Board’s men, whose name has been registered for all important matches conducted by the Board. This should not mean that C. I. has no other distinguished players. Not a single player has come forward from the C.P. and Berar although the C.P. are full of various promising cricketers to-day. The South Indian Association is entirely in the hands of the Madras Cricket Club, and none of the Madras United Club players have a voice in their affairs because they have refused affiliation on legitimate grounds. When all these important centres are not fully represented on the Board, who can imagine that the Board is really a Board of Cricket Control for all India cricket and that it has the unanimous support of all the real cricketing talent in the country. Official nomination of members from Provincial Associations is killing the real spirit of cricketers. What they wish is that they must have their own members on the Board-members whom they elect and not the officially nominated ones as is the case at present.
There is a lot of dissatisfaction all over the country among cricketers of all ranks, nay, even among veterans, on the selection of players for the so-called representative matches, and also on other matters discussed in the Board’s meetings, in which great ignorance of the rights and claims of all Indian cricketers is shown. Do the Board wish to perfect these very cricketers who have passed their prime for all important matches for years to come? Then, how do they propose to encourage coming cricketers? It is true that matters concerning selection are very difficult indeed, but it is not understood why places in teams are specially reserved continually for certain players. These players seem to have completely monopolised all important, or representative matches and many promising careers have been cut short on account of extreme disappointment prevailing on the question of finding a place in a team for some notable fixture. It is claimed by the Board that they are organising matters on the lines of English Counties and the M.C.C., but in England each county encourages all rising players, while the M.C.C. makes startling changes even in Test teams every second season by bringing to the forefront promising young cricketers.
Many of the poor cricketers hi this country have begun to realise by the activities, selection, and commands of the Board of Control at Delhi that this new organisation has been formed for organising cricket mainly for the rich folk of the country. Cricket is a great game in this that it knows no distinction whatever and is the only game to bring the poor and the rich together in healthy rivalry of sport. If the present Board is to exist only for the benefit of rich players then the poor deserving cricketers, whose majority is certainly enormous, will someday have to form their own Board. But if the present Board means to represent and encourage all-India Cricket, they win have to take representatives of the rich and the poor alike on its organising bodies, so that it may hope to enlist the sympathy and services of all who are interested in the future of Indian cricket.