Kapil Dev buries differences with BCCI, says he never disregarded the Indian cricket board

It’s official— former Indian skipper Kapil Dev and the BCCI have buried their differences. On Wednesday, the Indian board president N Srinivasan flew down to Mumbai and later, after a short meeting, conveyed that he looked forward to a “fruitful association” with the one-time blacklisted former player, says a report in The Indian Express.

For the last five years, starting from when he threw his lot in with the Indian Cricket League (ICL), Essel group’s rebel initiative, Kapil had a falling out with the BCCI. As recently as a couple of months back, Kapil didn’t figure in the comprehensive list of former players that received a one-time financial benefit, that came from the Indian Premier League’s earning.

However, the board has immediately released a one-time benefit payment of Rs 1.5 crore apart from his pending pension of Rs 35,000 per month over the last five years.

The truce was on the cards ever since the BCCI president Srinivasan had raised the issue of Kapil’s amnesty at the working committee meeting earlier this month.

Kapil Dev is certainly a relieved man after being back into the BCCI fold but the legendary all-rounder still has reservations if one terms his comeback as an act to get ‘amnesty from the BCCI’, says a report in Deccan Herald.

“I never understood whether the word amnesty is correct or not. May be I am not very intelligent but I checked the dictionary to find the meaning,” said Kapil with a tinge of sarcasm on the sidelines of function.

People had associated the word ‘rebel’ with Indian Cricket League but the 53-year-old said his stint at the unsanctioned league had been a learning experience for him. “Whatever people might think, personally I have learnt a lot. Now I feel more experienced and confident about taking up any responsibility that I am entrusted with,” the former India captain said.

He agreed that there were misunderstandings with the BCCI but those have been sorted out now. “I have always believed that there isn’t a single thing that can’t be sorted out if two people sit across the table and talk it out. Even the Indo-Pak issue could be sorted out if there is proper dialogue.

“I have never disregarded BCCI as it was, and will remain, my parent body. As a sportsman, my aim was to help sportspersons grow. The idea is to see what is good for sport rather than what’s good for individuals,” Kapil said.

Meanwhile The Hindu report says that Kapil, who led India to the 1983 World Cup triumph, a feat repeated by M.S. Dhoni in 2011, wrote to the Board to stress his disassociation with Essel Sports, which had organised the Indian Cricket League (ICL).  The Board had termed the ICL a rebel series and punished Kapil by removing him from the chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). His monthly pension from the Board too had been stopped following his support to the ICL.

The BCCI, in a statement, said: “The BCCI has received a letter from Mr. Kapil Dev, former India captain. Mr. Kapil Dev has informed the Board that he has resigned from the Essel Sports Private Limited/ ICL. Hel has stated in the letter that he has always supported the BCCI, and will continue to do so in the future.”

The Board President, N. Srinivasan, said: “The BCCI acknowledges Mr. Kapil Dev’s immense contribution to Indian cricket and looks forward to a fruitful association with him in the years to come.”