Picture Credit: Twitter/@100MasterBlastr
As BCCI announced India's T20 World Cup squad on Wednesday, one of the talking points of the conference was MS Dhoni's appointment as team's mentor for the mega event. The fans were absolutely delighted to have former Indian captain back in the dressing room to help Virat Kohli and Co. in UAE. Not just fans, even cricketers like Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina praised BCCI for their decision to get Mahi back into the picture for welfare of national side.
However, things have taken a dramatic U-turn just a day later after former Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life member Sanjeev Gupta sent a letter to the apex council members suggesting that Dhoni's appointment is a violation of the Conflict of Interest clause, under which one person cannot hold two posts.
Reflecting on the same, a BCCI source told PTI, “Yes, Gupta has sent a letter to apex council members including Sourav (Ganguly) and Jay (Shah). He has cited clause 38 (4) of the BCCI constitution which loosely states that one person cannot be holding two separate posts. The Apex Council will need to consult its legal team to check the ramifications.”
These complaints have become a tool for proxy attacks: BCCI official
One of the BCCI officials notably revealed that there is no logic behind the conflict of interest complaint as he told that Dhoni will just be guiding the players. "These frivolous conflict of interest complaints have become a tool for proxy attacks. T20 World Cup is happening post the IPL. At that point all players would be free agents. One isn't even sure if MS Dhoni would continue at the CSK then," he said.
He explained that a mentor has no say in team's selection and Dhoni is only going to be guiding the players in the squad. "Essentially he is a senior player who isn't actually playing," he added.
Another BCCI official went on to say that all these complaints need to stop in best of interest for the national side. "Let me assure you, if this is allowed to continue, this will prove to be the last nail in the coffin of Indian cricket," the official said.