Modern cricket is as much about the 22-yards, as it is off the greens. And Jagmohan Dalmiya can easily be called one of the father figures of the game's modern era. He had both guts and gumption, verve and vision to turn the game on its head and make it a global name. He also gave Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) its bragging rights.
And he did all this with a smile and candour that looks real only in fairy tales. So when he played a pivotal role in getting cricket's biggest advertisement-- The World Cup-- -to India, he made the world sit up and take notice. BCCI changed for ever and for a decade thereafter the power centre of world cricket shifted to B C Roy Clubhouse at Eden Gardens from where he masterminded big and small coups.
A Global Game Changer
Dalmiya made the safari suit the symbol of power dessing in the corridors of BCCI and the million-dollar smile his biggest weapon. Despite his flight, he was always grounded working for the development of Bengal's cricket in equal measure. Under his leadership Bengal were no longer the whipping boys of Indian domestic cricket. Of course the team had the talent to back his boardroom prowess. But wasn't Bengal cricket always talented and unnoticed? That changed.
Dalmiya never backed out in face of challenges. Be it the Mike Dennesse high- handedness or ICC domination, he stood by his players. Lores have it that during the days when England had a virtual veto in all cricketing affairs, Dalmiya, at one ICC meeting, had quietly exploded: “When I was young I was told Britannia rules the waves, but now it seems that Britannia waives the rules.” He never took anyone for granted. But granted everyone an audience. He never left anything to chance. But gave everyone a chance to prove their merit. It is this pragmatism and patience that made him soar.
An opener during his days as a club cricketer, Dalmiya had to give up his dreams of playing because of the untimely death of his father. Getting busy running Kolkata’s famous ML Dalmiya construction company, he would return to cricket only as an administrator, rise through the ranks and be the first Indian to be the ICC president.
This handsome man and quintessential Bengali Bhodrolok, who was born a Marwari, was blooded into BCCI by Biswanath Dutta, whom he considered a mentor till the last day of his life and was ably counselled by Somnath Chatterjee. These two men left an irreversible impression on his personality and mindset, making him a redoubtable combination of a Marwari head with a Bengali heart. So how do you count his legacy? Considering his eventful life and long list of achievements, its a complex ask. But simply put Dalmiya turned the BCCI finances without which nothing would have be been possible.
At a time when BCCI had to pay Doordarshan to telecast cricket games, Dalmiya fought court battles and the government. He got the Board huge money through telecast rights. Under Dalmiya the BCCI was canny, reserved and like those with old monies. He converted cricket into the popular opium of the masses in the sub-continent. He was cricket’s first alchemist and a master of realpolitik who only had the good of cricket as his sole motive.
(Piece written by Arindam Basu)