Conflict complaint against Dhoni frivolous and motivated, sets dangerous trend for Indian cricket: BCCI official

By Baidurjo Bhose
New Delhi [India], September 9 : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has termed the complaint of conflict of interest against MS Dhoni as frivolous. Former MPCA member Sanjeev Gupta levelled conflict of interest allegations against Dhoni after he was named mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.
Speaking to ANI, a BCCI official said there was no logic behind the complaint as the team had already been selected and Dhoni will only be guiding the players.
"It is well known now that these frivolous complaints have become a tool for proxy attacks ever since the new rules and regulations came into force. The World Cup is happening post the IPL. At that point all players would be free agents since there would be a reshuffle of players with a big auction coming up with the entry of the new teams. One isn't even sure if MS would continue at the CSK then.
"Moreover, the team has been selected, a mentor has no say in selection and is only going to be guiding the players in the squad. Essentially he is a senior player who isn't actually playing. Going by the perverse logic of the frivolous complaint, the Indian captain Virat Kohli should not even participate in the IPL no?" the official enquired.
Another BCCI official said it was reaching a stage where no former Indian cricketer would be able to serve the country. "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.
Former BCCI Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry believes it will undoubtedly enhance India's chances of bringing the trophy home. Having worked closely with Dhoni in an administrative capacity during the 2009 T20 World Cup (Media Manager) as well as India's tour of England in 2011 (Manager), Anirudh keeps it short and sweet and calls it an excellent move.
"It is an excellent decision to bring MS Dhoni on board as the mentor for the team. MS, Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma form a very potent leadership group and this decision enhances the team's chances at the ICC T20 World Cup. This decision of the BCCI Secretary must be lauded," he told ANI.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday said he spoke with former skipper Dhoni on being the mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup and the current team management is on the same page about the decision. "As far as MS Dhoni is concerned, I spoke to him when I was in Dubai so he was okay with the decision and he agreed to be the team mentor for T20 World Cup only. I discussed this particular issue with my colleagues also, they are all on the same page," Shah said during the virtual press conference.
"I spoke to captain and vice-captain as well as head coach Ravi Shastri, they all are on the same page so that is why we reached a conclusion," he added.