"The subcontinent couldn't be
ignored anywhere."
|
There is no name in the book he hasn't been called. And not
all would make his ego swell. Ruthless and megalomaniacal for starters, and this from
people who like him. But that's about where Jagmohan Dalmiya's path diverges from other
Indian sports officials. Some things he can produce. Like give him a cellphone for five
minutes and he'll get you a deal. This year, he cut his biggest one, inveigling his way to
head of the International Cricket Council. And for all his power playing, admit this much:
you never really believed the day would come when an Indian official would walk through
Lord's. And the gatekeeper might give him a respectful nod. And the pin-stripe-suited men
in the Long Room would stand up. And he'd sit in the chair marked "The Boss".
And dictate how an international sport is managed. Not everybody laughs at Indian sport
anymore. |
