Imlisanen Jamir
2018 was a landmark year for the sport of cricket in Nagaland, with the state team making their debut in the Ranji Trophy—India’s premier first class cricket tournament. And while the Nagaland team impressed for a side which was never near the national cricket scene, the optimism that surrounded the Nagaland cricket story has been marred with controversy recently.
And the official authority’s failure to provide any clarity on the issue, nearly a week after the story broke is disconcerting.
Last week, reports emerged that aspiring young cricketers were fished to give bribes for having places in state teams in Ranji Trophy last season, with Nagaland being one of those state teams. It is reported that the players were told they would be selected for North Eastern teams and other domestic tournaments.
Delhi police informed national media outlets that the players were allegedly promised places in the Nagaland, Manipur and Jharkhand teams; were even given documents that said they were selected for these teams although it turned out they were forged papers.
One of the complainants, Kanishk Guaur was also allegedly approached by a cricket coach last year who offered him to play in the Ranji Trophy team of Nagaland as a guest player. He later called him to meet the official coach of the Nagaland cricket team and some members of their board, and was asked to pay Rs 15 lakh for five matches, the police officer said was quoted as stating.
“But after playing two matches for the under-19 team of Nagaland, he was asked not to play and when he inquired, he was told that his selection letter was forged,” the police added.
After decades of deprivation by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and following consistent efforts by state cricket associations to be included in the national scene, Nagaland along with other NE states made their Ranji debuts last year.
A big hand in making this possible were new modalities that sought to fix a cricketing system in the country that has been marred with major corruption scandals.
The Nagaland Cricket Association (NCA) was rightly hailed in the state for their constant efforts to ensure development of the sport here, with the senior team performing impressively at the national level. Even the U-19 team impressed, with players being funneled to the youth team through district level tournaments.
When the Nagaland senior team was in the middle of its debut Ranji campaign, we published an editorial calling for all fans and stakeholders to back the team and staff through the challenges that they were bound to face in the future.
The recent corruption allegations, if proven, will sap the initial energy and positivity that surrounded Nagaland’s cricketing scene only a few months ago; and will feed the existing cynicism from which our people need respite from.
It is imperative that the state board provide clarity on the issue and work towards ensuring that if the charges are proved the persons involved are held accountable.
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