BCCI v/s ICC

In the eye of a storm yet again, Indian cricket seems to be imperious. Most often perceived as highly-paid and arrogant and condescending, Indian cricketers have rejected the ‘whereabouts’ clause of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s doping code, that has the strong backing of the BCCI. Top Indian players like MSD, Sachin and others have an ambivalent take on the matter. They are neither averse to being tested for drugs nor are they hesitant in being tested in the out-of-competition testing. However, they are reluctant because their privacy will be intruded, infringed upon.

The tendentious ‘whereabouts’ clause states that the players should provide information regarding where they can be found for one specified hour between 6am and 11pm every day for a 3 month period, with updates every quarter for one year. The intention behind this clause is to test the players for drugs while not playing, i.e. testing them unawares.

Our cricketers, who have off-season commitments, insist that it is next to impossible to publicize or predict their schedule, two or three months down the calendar year. The issue of security is also of grave concern, for our cricketers are on the hitlist of many a proscribed organization. It isn’t wise to publicly declare their whereabouts, commitments, which only makes the task of identifying the cricketers by the proscribed organizations easier. The death-threats issued to Sachin and Sourav earlier are true-blue examples.

Our players are not convinced of the confidentiality of WADA. Just as it claims that this clause will help them enormously in weeding out drug-related corruption, our players vouch that it only infringes and encroaches their private lives, which are paramount to them, considering that they spend very little time with their near and dear ones, due to a hectic schedule. That the BCCI has thrown its weight behind the players makes the argument of the cricketers gather more momentum and meaning. This also leads to rough weather between the ICC and the BCCI, a stand-off that is hard to resolve. This will also be a huge compromise on the part of BCCI, which is the money-minting machine for the ICC, if at all it accedes to the demand of WADA.

The panacea to the predicament lies in the amicable dialogue between the two parties in question, leading to an amiable solution. The intention of WADA is genuine, as also the concerns of the BCCI.

Doping is a scourge that has to be killed before it kills the spirit of sports.