Newsmaker: Anurag Thakur

In the politics of cricket

Anurag Thakur's official website lists his achievements as a parliamentarian, youth leader, sports administrator and social reformer. Another page on the website, amid images of him peeking through in a nifty, beige Nehru jacket, gives you a glimpse into his vision for India - education, employment and empowerment. The website is a reflection of the man's ambitious and assertive persona.

That persona was in full display earlier this week, when Thakur fired an open letter to International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman and former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) boss N Srinivasan. In a lot of ways, this was waiting to happen. When he was elected to the post of BCCI secretary earlier this year, Thakur vowed to delve into the key issues of transparency and accountability in Indian cricket.

Ironically, when Thakur was pictured offering a piece of cake to an alleged bookie at a Chandigarh party a few days ago, the ICC was swift in issuing an advisory to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, asking him to stay away from suspected bookies.

Thakur, in a strident response to Srinivasan, wrote back saying that he (Srinivasan) should have shared the list of "unverified suspected bookies" with him first, instead of issuing an advisory that was immediately made public. In a spiteful jibe, he also said that Srinivasan could share such information with his family members, since their involvement in betting was a proven fact.

Ever since the new BCCI regime took over in March, with Jagmohan Dalmiya as president, relations between Thakur and Srinivasan have been full of friction. BCCI insiders also say that Thakur and Dalmiya are mulling calling an early special general meeting to oust Srinivasan as the Board's representative at ICC.

Interestingly, Srinivasan had once offered Thakur a nomination for the BCCI presidency from the east zone to contest against Dalmiya, but the offer was quickly turned down. That was mainly due to Sharad Pawar's insistence that Dalmiya be nominated for the top job. Thakur was subsequently told to run for secretary after Pawar approached a few senior BJP members. In the March election, Thakur defeated Sanjay Patel, a Srinivasan loyalist, for the post of secretary by a solitary vote.

People close to Thakur say that the 40-year-old is a seasoned administrator who has an undying passion for the game. Son of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Thakur first became Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association President in 2000. He slowly made his way into BCCI, mainly through his effort in setting up the scenic state association stadium in Dharamsala. He is a three-time MP from Hamirpur in the state. Thakur started off as a cricketer himself, representing Punjab and North Zone at the under-19 level.

Thakur is close to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who he considers his mentor, and shares a great rapport with Dalmiya. In fact, Thakur learnt the early tricks of administration under the tutelage of Dalmiya when the latter was the head of ICC almost a decade ago.

With the next BCCI election due in 2017, where the north zone will get a chance to nominate the presidential candidate, Thakur may well be the man at the helm of affairs in a couple of years' time.