The Hindu Business Line : `Team India plays for BCCI, not Govt'

EVEN as the Government today backed Zee, supporting its stand that the Indian cricket board is a `State' within the meaning of Constitution, counsel for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid play for the official team of the Board and are not the official team of India.

"If India plays England, it is a match played by the official team of BCCI and not the official team of India," BCCI counsel and senior advocate, Mr K.K. Venugopal, said in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He said that the activities of the board including the selection of the Indian team had nothing to do with the Government of India.

"We do not even fly the national flag nor do we use any national emblem in the activities of the Board," he said.

Earlier in the day, the constitutional bench headed by Mr Justice Santosh Hegde said that the Court was unimpressed by the Government's submissions.

Additional Solicitor General, Mr Mohan Parasharan, submitted before the Bench that the Government exercised various controls over apex sport's bodies including BCCI that perform functions closely resembling the executive functions.

In an affidavit filed in the court today, the Government said the BCCI from time to time had been complying with its directions including non-participation of the Indian Cricket team in tournaments held at non-regular venues like Sharjah, Toronto and Singapore.

Moreover, the Government recognised BCCI as the apex body in the field of cricket and had given land at cheap rates for construction of stadiums.

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