Posters of Ashish Shelar, the newly elected treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, along with former president Sharad Pawar adorn the billboards along Marine Drive leading up to the Wankhede Stadium. A congratulatory message in Marathi with the Board’s logo is prominently displayed.
Political affiliations do not matter in cricket administration, else how would you explain the coming together of Nationalist Congress Party chief Pawar with BJP strongman Shelar in the leadup to the elections for the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)? With Shelar now in the BCCI and hence ineligible, vice-president Amol Kale will contest against former India cricketer, chief selector and 1983 World Cup-winning member Sandeep Patil for the president’s post at its elections on Thursday.
In his quest to become MCA’s first Test cricketer-president since Madhav Mantri in the late 1980s, Patil’s Mumbai Cricket Group is leaving no stone unturned. “I have always felt that Mumbai cricket’s legacy should be carried forward. We are all products of the system that runs Mumbai cricket. There’s so much to do and I thought I should give it a go,” Patil told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
This will be his last chance since at 66 he has only three years at hand before being barred by the 70-year age cap.
“The pandemic has done so much damage to Mumbai cricket. It’s going to be a massive task to get it back on track. For two years, there was hardly any cricket played. Still, the clubs survived, along with the ground staff. We have 325 clubs that play in 110 tournaments every year.
“But we need sufficient grounds. We have only 35/36 grounds after losing many because of the ongoing Metro Railway project. I have a team which is in touch with ground realities... people who have worked with various clubs and are involved with Maidan cricket at the grassroots level,” Patil said.
Roger Binny taking over as Board president has come as a huge boost for Patil. “I am so happy for him... The 1983 WhatsApp group has been going ga-ga over his appointment and we are in touch every day.”
Patil believes cricket should be kept free of any political interference. “There should be no political angle involved. Every person who qualifies should stand for the betterment of cricket. All groups have their own mandate... Politics is not my concern and the deserving candidate should win and work for cricket,” he said.
But the MCA fight will be a different ball game with his opponent Kale, an entrepreneur with roots in Nagpur, having the backing of the triumvirate of Pawar, chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Does he feel intimidated by the political bigwigs involved?
“We have been facing pressure from our school days. I have won so many battles on the ground that nothing can keep me back. From my U-19 coaching role to the chairmanship of the selection committee, National Cricket Academy director... I have done justice to my role and there has been no allegation against me. In these 50 years I have always taken the field with a daring approach which will help me in putting Mumbai cricket ahead,” said Patil, a dashing batsman of the day whose 174 at Adelaide on the 1980-81 tour against the likes of Dennis Lillee, Rodney Hogg and Len Pascoe had lit up the stadium. That, after being concussed by Pascoe in the previous Test at Sydney.
In the last three decades, Ajit Wadekar and Dilip Vengsarkar failed in their bid to become MCA president. But Patil is not worried. “I don’t wish to get into why and how they lost but it’s unfortunate. You can’t lose the match before taking the field. Our practice sessions have just ended and the match is set to begin.
“I have been a fearless person right through. I faced so many hurdles. I have been hit on the head and come out to bat, and scored a hundred... so I am used to facing all sorts of challenges in cricket. We have to work together to take Mumbai cricket forward. The priority has to be the game and not any individual. The effort always has to be sincere,” Patil said.
