IPL spot-fixing: Dhoni’s silence an insult to the nation

What was Dhoni afraid of?

While the whole country demands answers on the IPL spot-fixing scandal, Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni`s silence on the issue certainly raised many eyebrows, bringing to the fore one simple question — why didn`t he stand up and speak to restore the dignity of Indian cricket? Did Dhoni forget that as a leader he is on a pedestal and by keeping mum on the contentious issue, he broke the trust and faith of millions of his fans?

By opting to remain unresponsive over the fixing controversy, the Indian captain has shamed millions who worship him and his tribe and consider cricket as their religion. Dhoni should have at least given a second thought before he decided to maintain stoic silence. Clearly, he has not only let the people down, but also brought disgrace to the sport. India’s most successful Indian Test captain has always been known for speaking out his mind, but this time around it seems the man is more interested in keeping his position intact by not annoying the `Big Boss` (BCCI chief N Srinivasan). Dhoni`s decision to keep mum on the burning issue has definitely come as a shock for all. What is more controversial is that the wicket-keeper batsman is the captain of Chennai Super Kings, the IPL franchise owned by Srinivasan-owned India Cements. Dhoni is also the vice president in the same company. So the moot point that demands answers is whether the Indian cricket captain was ordered by the BCCI chief to evade questions on spot-fixing or was Dhoni showing his gratitude to Srinivasan. Remember, last year when many ex-cricketers, including the selectors, were gunning for Dhoni’s head after Indian team’s dismal performance in Australia and England, it was the BCCI chief who had intervened and saved Dhoni from being axed. At that time too, there were murmurs doing the rounds that nobody can replace Dhoni as he captains the CSK owned by the BCCI chief and Srinivasan cannot afford to let go off Dhoni. Not only Dhoni but BCCI should also be blamed for issuing a diktat to journalists as they were not allowed to ask questions on the spot-fixing scandal. Clearly, the BCCI boss is having a tough time ever since his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan`s name cropped up in the IPL spot-fixing scandal. There has been a growing clamour demanding removal of N Srinivasan. However, the BCCI chief continues to defy all and refuses to leave the hot seat. Indian cricket is going through a rough phase and its credibility has taken a hit. But it is also very disappointing when cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and many others maintain silence on the issue. Only Rahul Dravid came forward and spoke his heart out on the ongoing saga. It seems that everyone else is behaving like servants of the BCCI. While there is no denying that BCCI has always behaved like a `Big Boss` and might have issued a gag order on players, but wasn`t it Indian skipper Dhoni’s moral duty to assure millions of disillusioned fans that he stands against what’s detrimental to the future of the sport. Dhoni should have defied the diktat for the love of cricket and his fans. What was MSD afraid of? Couldn’t he moderately put forward his opinion on the spot-fixing issue? If he had done so, millions of people in this country would have rallied behind him. However, it seems that he has lost his conscience and is only interested in keeping his ‘boss’ happy.