Good Horse, Last Race?

On the international stage, Dalmiya gave India a clout it hadn't imagined possible till the mid-'90s. First, he virtually stole the right to stage the 1996 World Cup for the sub-continent from under England's nose. Then he stormed the International Cricket Council as its maiden president, crowning that stint by giving away the World Cup trophy at Lord's in 1999. On taking over as BCCI president in 2001, he resorted to brinkmanship when Virender Sehwag was banned and five others pulled up by ICC match referee Mike Denness.

At home, he teamed up with I.S. Bindra to do the unthinkable in the '90s—make Doordarshan pay for cricket telecasts and find sponsors for the Indian team. He also made top players secure with year-long contracts and roped in ex-cricketers to help run the game. With technical committee chief Sunil Gavaskar, he restructured domestic cricket—introducing a more vigorous, two-tier league for the Ranji Trophy (which helped throw up players like R.P. Singh, Sreesanth etc from the smaller teams) and allowing a foreign team every year in the Duleep Trophy.

At a time when the likes of Raj Singh Dungarpur believed there was no need for an overseas coach, Dalmiya backed the vision that Dravid, Ganguly, Tendulkar and Kumble presented him with. He voted for roping in John Wright as coach and encouraged the New Zealander to secure quality support staff as well. And he played no mean role in ensuring that it was Chappell and not Tom Moody who took over the reins earlier this year.

Of course, Dalmiya has paid the price for not allowing a second string to develop, causing an outcry for 'professionalism' and 'transparency' in the functioning of the board. He also burnt bridges with several people, not the least being ex-presidents Bindra, Dungarpur and A.C. Muthiah. And made the likes of TNCA chief and now BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan feel let down during the TV rights controversy last year. Above all, he erred in not accepting the compromise offer that Pawar made him some time last year. For all that, the last word on Dalmiya has to belong to J&K Cricket Association president Farooq Abdullah. "There is no end-of-the-road for a good horse. I don't think Dalmiya is finished," Abdullah says. "We may see a rebirth, a more supportive Dalmiya." Come to think of it, there can't be a last word on Jagmohan Dalmiya.