End of the Dalmiya era

New Delhi: The big loser of the day was Jagmohan Dalmiya as not only all four candidates from his group were decimated in the polls, but his reputation as a man who can successfully manage board elections lay in tatters.

This is the first time the master of cricket politics, Jagmohan Dalmiya, has lost a battle for power.

To make it worse he has lost in his own backyard and the men who changed the power equation in the cricket board included an ex-election commissner, one of the most inflential politicians in the country, an army of lawyers and some friends turned foes.

He may have lost but Jagmohan Dalmiya's legacy to Indian cricket is unquestionable.

A wicketkeeper batsman with very little talent, Dalmiya showed his real skill when he joined BCCI politics in 1979.

In less than 10 years, he along with I S Bindra from Punjab brought the world cup to the sub-continent.

In 1992-93, as secretary of the board, he strategised the commercialisation of the game, which brought in big money into cricket.

The board's balance sheet, which showed a deficit of Rs 81.60 lakh in 1992-93 declared a working profit of Rs 15.34 lakh by the end of the next financial year.

Today, the BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world all because of Dalmiya.

After the turn around in the fortunes of the BCCI, Dalmiya took every step with full authority and confidence.

He was soon elected the president of the BCCI and then rose to become the first Asian President of the ICC in an acrimonious election.

His rise was meteoric and it clearly showed that no one could manipulate cricket politics better than him.

But along with power, Dalmiya courted trouble and kept losing friends and soon these friends turned foes formed an alliance to end Dalmiya's reign.

The Pawar group is supported by Bindra and Raj Singh Dungurpur who worked with Dalmiya in the past.

"Definately I've served cricket during my lifetime. I'll extend any help to anyone. But besides that to say that there was a debacle it was not so. It is just one vote difference so it is on the face. I hope you will understand," he said after the elections.

But defeat comes with its own lessons and Dalmiya will learn his lessons back with new vigour.

At present he is no more the captain of the ship, just a member of the team.