0
0
The Ferozeshah Kotla was his den, and there was a growing sentiment within the BCCI that Delhi should not be given any IPL matches after the India-Sri Lanka match was called off in 2009 because of an unfit pitch. But Arun Jaitley was firm that the IPL matches scheduled in Delhi in 2010 were not going anywhere. Mishaps happen, he believed, but one should never panic.
Instead, Jaitley’s focus was on Virat Kohli, who was his favourite cricketer at the time. Sitting in his office, at a time when it was difficult to imagine the BJP ever coming to power in Bengal, Jaitley still spoke highly of every political leader. But within a short while, the conversation would invariably turn to Virat, then a newcomer to white-ball cricket. Jaitley would say that Kohli would one day lead India.
And Kohli did exactly that. “Jaitley ji was always full of praise for Kohli for his commitment, especially after Virat lost his dad,” former BCCI secretary and selector Sanjay Jagdale told CricBlogger..
As his kith and kin remember him on his seventh death anniversary today, a whole generation of board officials and stakeholders cannot forget how Jaitley changed the face of Indian cricket over the years with his simple, uncomplicated approach. Even while dealing with the biggest of problems, he would do so with a big smile on his face. He was, after all, a lawyer — and a very good one at that. “Rather than speaking any other language, he spoke the language of the game,” Jagdale recalled.
Jaitley was a larger-than-life figure, yet his simplicity allowed him to connect effortlessly with people from all walks of life. His knowledge of films and food was as impressive as anyone’s, and conversations with him could move effortlessly from cricket and politics to cinema and cuisine.
Who can forget the way Jaitley pushed young players into first-class cricket? Many of those youngsters went on to make it big at the highest level. And while addressing the big issues, he never lost sight of the smaller things that made cricket stronger.
One such instance came to light when Jagdale recalled how Jaitley showed tremendous interest in knowing how the Holkar Stadium had been built at such a remarkably low cost. “He was fascinated by the way the Indore stadium was built at such a low budgetsaid, underlining just how influential Jaitley was as the de facto boss of the BCCI.
That is why, seven years on, Indian cricket still misses Arun Jaitley!
