Dalmiya okays Srinivasan's continuation as ICC chairman

An hour after he was declared elected unopposed, Jagmohan Dalmiya began his second innings as Indian cricket board (BCCI) president with a compromise. The BCCI adopted a resolution that allowed N Srinivasan to keep representing the Indian cricket board at the International Cricket Council (ICC) as chairman.

Had Sharad Pawar's entire panel emerged victorious at Monday's AGM, Srinivasan's innings at the ICC would have been cut short. Dalmiya, a past ICC president, made the big concession to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association chief, with whose tacit support he landed the BCCI hot seat without having to enter into an electoral battle.

With Srinivasan controlling three of the six East Zone votes and Dalmiya himself holding two, it made more sense for the CAB big shot to align with the former rather than warming up to overtures from the Pawar camp.

By striking an 'understanding' with Srinivasan, Dalmiya made sure the Pawar camp did not have a proposer and seconder from East Zone. Tripura, which was the Pawar camp's lone 'hope' from the zone, proved a deserter and seconded Dalmiya's nomination for the president's post after the National Cricket Club proposed his name.

So it was payback time for Dalmiya, who is known to pay his debts humbly and collect them ruthlessly. However, it would be foolish to deduce that Dalmiya will continue to be as benevolent in future to Srinivasan, given the trust deficit that exists between the two. Srinivasan, who used to be known among BCCI members as "Chhota Dalmiya" during his early days in the cricket board, fell out with "Jaggudada" when the latter tried to anoint himself as the BCCI's patron-in-chief in 2004. 'Chhota' Dalmiya joined hands with Sharad Pawar and after two acrimonious elections in successive years, 'Bada Dalmiya' was thrown out. Interestingly, Srinivasan had adopted Dalmiya's own tactics to beat his one-time mentor at his own game.

A refined version of Dalmiya tactics were on display in the run-up to Monday's AGM. Right from arm-twisting smaller associations to holding midnight parleys in hotel suites with unscrupulous elements looking to make a killing during election time, Srinivasan's group tried it all, with varying degrees of success.

It did yield him a clutch of posts, including five vice-presidents, but in the BCCI such positions are largely ornamental and have little contribution to make in terms of administration. Even the joint secretary and the treasurer's posts are hardly significant as they wield no power.

The BCCI constitution vests a whole range of power in its president, who needs an efficient secretary to execute his directives. Dalmiya, who was president from 1999 to 2004, is well aware of this. Moreover, he would not have forgotten how Srinivasan had joined hands with Pawar to prosecute him in the PILCOM scandal.

So, even though fate has thrown them on the same side of the fence again, Srinivasan will be wary of every move that Dalmiya makes, and vice versa. It's hardly the ideal way to run Indian cricket.