Harsha Bhogle hits back at Tony Grieg and India bashers

[Desi Cartman]

OMG :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[BERGKAMP]

Greig is an opportunist and just as greedy as they get. His history is there for all to see and his beef with BCCI is well know. However, Harsha, his stock has fallen so quickly in my eyes, like most of the most so called Indian experts who are on BCCI payroll and refuse to see the damage that this ostrich approach is doing to Indian cricket. So, f**k both of them I say, maybe I would give the finger to Tony.

well said, greig is a cnut, and the bcci are also huge cnuts.

[vvvslaxman]

It reveals the fact how much the world is reliant on BCCI money. Without us' date=' cricket will only be played b/w SA,England and Australia like in 1930s.[/quote'] What will Indian fans do if India stops playing cricket.. Who will be the losers? World or India? :winky: Cricket needs India as much as India needs other countries.

[Chandan]

Apart from the last few sentences in which he expects gratitude for being a cricket fan, the article was spot on. BCCI was not the only board in the room while talking about DRS. He asked what were the other 9 members doing? They didnt even pass a notion to vote on it. That basically says that not even a single board wanted to make it mandatory. He also spoke about the absurdity of having just 1 or 2 appeals per innings and the hypocrisy of asking India and only India to give away its money to other boards so that their chairman can take a luxurious vacation. He should have hit home harder on tony's bias against BCCI and his proclivity towards unauthorized cricket leagues. Should have also gone into extremely despicable practices by Eng/Aus back in the day and how BCCI is a saint compared to them. Maybe even point out that BCCI has helped cricket in smaller countries than any other country, ever,esp Eng and Aus.

Yes. One more person has analysed Tony Greig's speech and written his views at Wisden India: Dismiss Greig if you must, but hear him out first Anand Vasu Ž· Bangalore Ž· Jun 27, 2012 Ž· Tony Greig has stirred the pot with his thinly veiled attack on the BCCI. The only thing surprising about Tony GreigÃÔ delivery of the Cowdrey Lecture at LordÃÔ was that he didnÃÕ announce, on arrival in London ahead of the oration, that he would ÅÎake them grovel. Them, of course, in this case being the Board of Control for Cricket in India, a body quicker to feeling aggrieved than Clive LloydÃÔ West Indies, who put GreigÃÔ Englishmen firmly in their place after a similar comment in 1976. Greig, a lot of people tend to conveniently ignore, played 58 Tests for England, leading them with distinction and achieving more with bat and ball than should have been possible purely through his technique or skill. He was a large-hearted cricketer who scored centuries against the best attacks, pace and spin, around the world, and was good enough to take 8 for 86 against a line-up that included Fredericks, Rowe, Kallicharan, Lloyd, Sobers and Kanhai. Far from being merely a cricketer, Greig threw himself into various projects with great gusto, not least Kerry PackerÃÔ World Series Cricket, and later media work with respected houses such as Channel Nine. Greig is a member of the board of the Epilepsy Foundation and a brand ambassador for Tourism Sri Lanka although why someone would pay Greig for something he would do for free, his love for the little island is genuine and legendary, is another question. But, we in India tend to gloss over most of this. Indeed, we overlook a love affair with the game that began when he tried out for Sussex as a teenager and has spanned five decades, simply because he threw his lot in with the Indian Cricket League. When Greig did so, he did it with typical enthusiasm, and was not shy to shout from the roof tops about how great the League would be, and subsequently how dastardly the Indian board was for scuppering the venture. ThatÃÔ just who Greig is: where a kitchen mallet would do the job, he wouldnÃÕ be shy to bring in the wrecking ball. Look no further than his twitter feed for a sample of just how he likes to stir the pot. But, to mistake that for malice is missing the point. Now, after GreigÃÔ Cowdrey Lecture, in which he makes many interesting points and often does so in a confrontational manner, GreigÃÔ relationship with his Indian audience is likely to sour further. Already there is barely masked outrage, and this should not come as a surprise. Few people do outrage better than Indians, although why I should take it personally if an individual cricketer or the BCCI is attacked, I have never understood. A line-by-line analysis of GreigÃÔ speech, which you can read in full here, is beyond the scope of this piece. Anyway, as readers, youÃÓe intelligent enough to read the speech and draw your own conclusions. However, there are a couple of ideas that beg to be looked at more closely. ItÃÔ GreigÃÔ hypothesis that India need to take their responsibility at the head of the table in world cricket more seriously, and focus their energies on saving the Test game. While this sounds earnest enough, its very foundations are dubious, as it should be clear to Greig that those running a national body have been elected by stakeholders whose interests they must protect. When N Srinivasan was elected president of the BCCI, his remit did not include ensuring that, say, cricketers in New Zealand did not turn freelance because their board could not compete with IPL salaries. When Sanjay Jagdale took over as BCCI secretary, among the many tasks on his plate, one was not to make sure that the Decision Review System was uniformly implemented. Running world cricket was never the responsibility of elected officials of the Indian board. As Greig knows very well, there is an entire other organisation charged with doing this, the International Cricket Council. If the ICC is failing to do its job, itÃÔ hardly the fault of the BCCI which, like any other national board, is looking after its own interests. Before you holler about the BCCI controlling the world through its undeniable financial muscle, take a look at how the ICC is structured. When thereÃÔ a contentious issue, matters are settled by a vote. Taking the example of the DRS, as that seems to be a matter of life and death to some, the BCCI has been consistent in its opposition. If the cricket boards of the other nine Test-playing nations are so keen on the DRS, and as united as they claim to be, why do they not push for a vote and pass the law? If they are so keen on not offending the BCCI, and are willing to sacrifice the beliefs they so vociferously espouse, how does this make the BCCI unprincipled? Is it really the BCCI who are chasing the dollar to the detriment of cricket, or have other boards abdicated their responsibilities in their unseemly haste to get a piece of the action? Managing world cricket isn't the responsibility of N Srinivasan, the BCCI president. Another Greig assertion that cannot go unchallenged is that India do not take Tests seriously. In the coming season, India play ten Tests at home and this includes series against England and Australia. What more can they possibly do? The fact that GreigÃÔ lecture has engendered debates means, in some ways, heÃÔ done his job. To dismiss GreigÃÔ thoughts on the basis that he was a Packer or ICL man would be missing the point. HereÃÔ a man who clearly cares about the game, and heÃÔ unhappy about how the BCCI is going about its business. The BCCI would do well to consider his opinions, even if it doesnÃÕ agree with a single one of them. After all, itÃÔ not long ago that one man got so high handed that he ignored the views of the world and ran his patch of cricketing turf as he pleased. Today, he lives in exile, and those he kicked on the way up are queuing up for his return. And here is another view, this time by Dilip Premchandran: Statement by Tony Greig on India lacks any substance Dileep Premachandran Jun 28, 2012 It wasn't what Tony Greig said during the Spirit of Cricket lecture that was the problem. It was what he didn't say. Emphatic statements and sweeping judgements are fine, provided they're backed up by facts and figures. When not, it's easy for those on the receiving end to turn and say: "Ah, but you have an axe to grind." When you speak of things like "India's apparent indifference towards Test cricket", you need to back it up with more than rhetoric. When a country played 14 Tests in 2010, 11 in 2011 and plans nine in 2012, it takes a leap of the imagination to suggest they don't take the format seriously. If the inference is based on the poor results in England and Australia, then it could be easily argued that England were indifferent to the five-day game for most of the 1980s and 1990s, while getting trounced by West Indies, Australia and even India - 3-0 in 1992/93. When you then go on to say: "Test cricket is still paramount in England, South Africa and Australia but disappointingly it is no longer as important in India as it once was," you really are setting yourself up for a fall. If Test cricket is so paramount in England, why was the series against South Africa downgraded to just three Tests? If Australia cherish it, can anyone explain the Big Bash being played alongside the India series last year? And what can you say of South Africa, who recently scrapped their traditional Boxing Day Test in favour of a Twenty20? There's a lot to dislike about the way the Indian board functions, but half-truths don't help to improve matters. In a polarised world, it's nuance that is needed, not needle.

[someone]

It is one thing to criticize India but it is another to criticize India for other countries troubles. Stuffs like making an Asian Premier League really angers me badly. That's my main concern.

[goggi]

Tony Grieg must giggling with all the publicity he is getting. Must be pretty chuffed with his workout. Probably secured another 12 months of freelance work for blogs, newspaper, commentary. Whilst the rest have provided the pro/anti Grieg replies as predicted though Dileep (brilliant and pragmatic as ever)provides the best response calling out Grieg hollow statements.

[vvvslaxman]

Tony Grieg must giggling with all the publicity he is getting. Must be pretty chuffed with his workout. Probably secured another 12 months of freelance work for blogs, newspaper, commentary. Whilst the rest have provided the pro/anti Grieg replies as predicted though Dileep (brilliant and pragmatic as ever)provides the best response calling out Grieg hollow statements.

As much as i hate his hypocricy i am not sure what he benefits from publicity. He is alerady in commentary panel for lot of series regardless what his opinion about BCCI. That is far fetched that you become a millionaire by criticizing BCCI. If he says pro BCCI then he will be accused of sucking upto BCCI for IPL commentary.

[someone]

As much as i hate his hypocricy i am not sure what he benefits from publicity. He is alerady in commentary panel for lot of series regardless what his opinion about BCCI. That is far fetched that you become a millionaire by criticizing BCCI. If he says pro BCCI then he will be accused of sucking upto BCCI for IPL commentary.

The publicity is that Indian media will follow him everywhere and will pay him for exclusive interviews.

[vvvslaxman]

The publicity is that Indian media will follow him everywhere and will pay him for exclusive interviews.

That is not his fault. We are hyper-sensitive about everything. That is a fact. Not just on cricketing issues. Pretty much everything that is floating on the internet. Immediately you will see an internet crusade from Indians and Indian media. First of all to get exclusively interviews does he have to criticize BCCI? Won't he get more incentives by "glorifying" BCCI?

[goggi]

As much as i hate his hypocricy i am not sure what he benefits from publicity. He is alerady in commentary panel for lot of series regardless what his opinion about BCCI. That is far fetched that you become a millionaire by criticizing BCCI. If he says pro BCCI then he will be accused of sucking upto BCCI for IPL commentary.

In today's world with so many avenues of media streams you got to keep poking to be viable for one reason or another. There are plenty of platforms to make a money from being anti-BCCI. But also I don't think it's significantly about money, but to be viable in the cricketing fraternity with outspoken statements. Though as we all know, everyone in world cricket knows, and Grieg himself knows that he so full of contradictions in his criticism that his agenda is that to be in the limelight, be of relevance. And I find it a interesting, with South Africa/West Indies touring that MCC nominated Tony Grieg for the lecture and not someone like Kallis, Smith, Chanderpaul etc. More like perfectly timed from MCC:winky: PS: BCCI is still run by a bunch of knobheads.

[someone]

But also I don't think it's significantly about money, but to be viable in the cricketing fraternity with outspoken statements. .

Yep. Just look at Rakhi Sawaat.

[audioman]

Bah, this coming from a man who once said "And the ICC is a bit like the United Nations isn't it? They really have no control." And now, when the ICC is led and completely controlled by the BCCI, he turns around and asks some of the lamest questions ever. "Why can't other countries vote against...." or something to that effect. Really, Harsha? Either you are naive, but given your scathing attacks on the ICC in the past I have no reason to believe you are, or are pretentiously so, which is more like it.

As it stands today, it doesn't eliminate the howler for No. 9 or 10 if the two reviews have been used up.

And why have the reviews been "used up"? You do realize that if they were worthy enough reviews, you wouldn't have lost any in the first place? Review a howler, nothing more. The DRS' sole purpose is to rid the game of howlers, have your top order not waste it on marginal calls and even your #9 can review a howler. The arguments against using the DRS are so so thin that it is not even funny. Tony hit the nail on its head when he said the ONLY reason why India is against it is because some of their erstwhile cricketers like Dravid and Sachin, that are almost worshipped in India and can never do any wrong in the eye of the Indian fan, were showed up to be cheats by the DRS.

[vvvslaxman]

I agree with his views of UDRS. India suffered lot because of it. Our spinners will be far more potent with UDRS.

[goggi]

I agree with his views of UDRS. India suffered lot because of it. Our spinners will be far more potent with UDRS.

Of course, I agree to. In one way I am glad someone said, but I just wished it was someone with credibility, and not this dinosaur Tony Grieg. Because all the attacks by anti-UDRS brigade get diverted on attacking Tony Grieg's hypocrisy rather than focusing on UDRS. Just wish it was someone else like Ganguly, Kumble or Steve Waugh saying the same things Tony Grieg did. Any suggestions?

[jusarrived]

:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

[King Khan]

Seeing these mud throwing critic fight from outside world, I guess BCCI has two aftermath option- 1. Clean your dhoti punjabi first, and give a drool smile face to everyone. 2. Collect the mud thrown to you, paint your face with it and throw back. Both are valid things to do here and no shame/regret. You cant ask more from a govt. business farm like BCCI. At end this will calm down anyway when next IPL season will come close but with a cost of lot of Indian image down in outside world. err.. I dont think I do care much about these. If P@kis can live with all those criminals (fixers & provokers) touring different countries without any shame, for us such mud throwing initiated by Pakistan meh its marely any bothering.

[Crookbond]

That is not his fault. We are hyper-sensitive about everything. That is a fact. Not just on cricketing issues. Pretty much everything that is floating on the internet. Immediately you will see an internet crusade from Indians and Indian media. First of all to get exclusively interviews does he have to criticize BCCI? Won't he get more incentives by "glorifying" BCCI?

Perfect. That's how the way it works here. On both sides of the coin, you are screwed.

[Needforspeed]

ironically, Tony Grieg was one of the main forces behind the first T20 tournament in India- ICL. But I can understand his hatred for BCCI. He had a good thing going in ICL when BCCI scr***d it up for him. Last year, he was hoping to make some good money from SLPL, when they had to cancel it due to non-support from BCCI.

[Crookbond]

[Needforspeed]

What I find bugging is Tony Grieg's outright lies : 1. Holding BCCI responsible for the cancellation of the Test Cricket Championship Facts : The real cancellation was due to the ECB not being able to reach an agreement with the broadcasters. I am sure Tony Greig must have been aware of it. 2. BCCI not paying enough attention to Test cricket : Facts : India played most number of Tests among all Test Nations in 2011 India -12 Sl - 11 Pakistan -10 W.Indies - 10 Australia - 9 England - 8 Bangladesh - 5 South Africa- 5 N.Zealand -5 Zimbabwe - 3 The facts speak for themselves. Tony Grieg is a liar.