Talk at the Railways-Delhi Ranji match here has revolved squarely around the Abhijit Kale episode. Players, administrators and spectators huddle in groups under the winter sun at the Karnail Singh stadium in Delhi’s bustling Paharganj area — and the feeling that emerges is that none of the revelations are a surprise, nor was this the end of the story. ‘‘I am surprised that it has taken so long for the malpractice to come out in the open,’’ a senior cricketer said on condition of anonymity. ‘‘The malpractice is widespread, not just at the national level but even at junior levels. But who will bell the cat,’’ asked a former state cricketer. The father of a Delhi junior cricketer, watching the Ranji game, said a middleman had come to him four years ago with the selector’s demand for Rs 50,000 to include his son in under-19 squad. The father didn’t part with the money, the son didn’t play for the state. In strictly money terms, that wasn’t a lot of money to pay for the son’s cricket future — not when you consider that a good cricket kit costs about Rs 40,000. And that makes it even more tempting. ‘‘The game has become so commercial that every player, even at the junior level, is eager to make it fast to the state teams. If a parent is prepared to pay a certain amount to get his son selected, why blame the selectors for demanding the amount to do a favour,’’ argued another administrator. However, most of them blamed the system for such ills. ‘‘When injustice is done to a merited cricketer who is overlooked in preference to a below-average boy, it is natural for the player to get angry and frustrated. A stop has to be put to all this nonsense,’’ said most of the cricketers at the venue. But none could suggest a concrete solution. A former Delhi cricketer, who was a junior selector a few years ago, admitted that selectors (especially at junior levels) had to undergo a lot of pressure from several quarters — including politicians and bureaucrats. ‘‘The first thing an aspiring young cricketer’s parent (at least in Delhi) does is to find out the names of selectors and their telephone numbers. They then follow them to their offices, practice nets, etc. A selector has to be very stern to stay away and put off these parents. A few could fall prey to such parents’ money or gift offers,’’ he said. Until the Subba Rao commission comes out with its findings in the next fortnight, followers of the game will continue to comment on what could have happened in the Kale case.
