Dalmiya still a cornered man

A reliable source in the BCCI, however, told The Indian Express that irrespective of the criminal case filed by Dalmiya against the Board’s top brass, Pawar & Co aren’t spending sleepless nights.

“Looking beyond the temporary attention and celebrations surrounding Dalmiya, simple mathematics will tell you that Dalmiya doesn’t have a single supporter in BCCI at this point. In fact, it’s because he doesn’t have the numbers that he has chosen to take court recourse,” a top BCCI source told this daily.

Although only time will tell whether or not Dalmiya can win another court battle, there is substance in the belief that BCCI’s current vote-bank has absolutely no takers for him.

Following Friday’s court ruling, Dalmiya had raised the pitch on the BCCI front, saying: “My focus is on proper functioning of the BCCI. The Board is a democratic body and it should remain a democratic body.” However, no one is convinced with Dalmiya’s war-cry. “The overall picture is bleak for Dalmiya. In this fast-paced cricket world, if someone is out of the action for a year or two, he loses a lot of mileage,” said the source.

But a former BCCI lawyer believes that Dalmiya has every reason to bank on the criminal procedure against Pawar & Co.

“This is a criminal case, not a civil suit. If Dalmiya’s argument is proved correct, the accused (read Prof Ratnakar Shetty) could be in deep trouble, if you can gauge what I am trying to say,” he explained.