Why BCCI should spell out the advisory panel's role

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seems to be taking a leaf out of the Indian government’s book by forming more committees.

Nobody can grudge greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman being brought on board as members of the advisory panel, but every cricket lover would like to know what exactly their roles will be.

On Saturday, after the new panel met BCCI boss Jagmohan Dalmiya at the Eden Gardens, it was decided Rahul Dravid will be the new coach for the India "A" and under-19 teams.

Given The Wall’s tactical and technical acumen, it can be seen as a step in the right direction, more so after he has played his part in Rajasthan Royals’ think-tank.

It seems like yesterday that Ganguly’s name was being mentioned for a possible coaching role in Indian cricket, or even as director of coaching. Mail Today had reported that Ganguly wanted a long stint and it was not accepted.

When it comes to the BCCI, whatever news is shared with the media is scant and selective as more often "leaks" turn into "exclusives" in newspapers. There is nothing wrong in officials passing on news, but with the BCCI, you will not find denials being issued regularly.

Back to Messrs Sachin, Sourav and Laxman, it would be nice if the BCCI can spell out what exactly their roles will be. Everyone knows Dada is a former captain with strong views, but to have a panel which doesn’t know its own brief will do no good.

The big issue which is still not being addressed is who will be the next Team India coach and should he be a foreigner. Is the BCCI going to let the advisory panel take a call on it or will it follow a drill similar to other sports federations where applications are invited?

As the BCCI is not a body which comes under the sports ministry like other federations, it will do things the way it wants.

These days, there seems to be a lot of bonhomie between Test captain Virat Kohli and Team India director Ravi Shastri. First, it was Kohli who said laudatory things about Shastri and the latter responded on Saturday as if thanking the captain in pubic via an interview given to a cricket website!

When N Srinivasan was heading the BCCI, people were critical of his autocratic style of functioning. The men at the helm now do not have the same brazenness as Srinivasan and, if anything, would like to be more careful so that they can avoid criticism.

The average cricket fan is thrilled the greats have been roped in as advisors, but if you look at it differently, possible critics have been silenced.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said on Saturday the advisors’ posts were honorary. So does that mean Sachin, Sourav and Laxman will not claim allowances when they come for meetings?

The BCCI would do well to answer this because when Sunil Gavaskar was asked to look after the cricketing matters during Indian Premier League (IPL)-7, he raised a hefty bill for the same!

Ideally speaking, unless the advisory panel is given clear terms of reference, there can be anarchy in Indian cricket. It is well known that former players are part of the selection committee and in international cricket, former players meet and decide on rules.

Then again, with a technical committee also in place, what happens to former India captain Anil Kumble who heads it?

One does get this nagging suspicion the BCCI may have bought peace with former cricketers and all are now on board. Someone like Kapil Dev has no role but people close to him say he is happy with the commentary job he is doing.

It was interesting to hear from a friend his take on the advisory panel when he said it will probably have no job to do once Team India gets a foreign coach.

The way Shastri is speaking, he seems sure he will not be jettisoned soon as he has complimented the Indian coaching staff, which includes Bharath Arun and Sanjay Bangar.

Going back to the old adage "too many cooks spoil the broth", the BCCI needs to be sure what it expects from the greats.

To think they will improve Team India’s performances on tough overseas tours needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as they were unable to do that in their own playing days.