'Conflict of interest' issue returns to hound new India captain Virat Kohli

New India Test captain Virat Kohli also gets embroiled in ‘conflict of interest’ controversy

After N Srinivasan and MS Dhoni, the ‘conflict of interest’ issue that has hounded Indian cricket in the last few years has caught up with new India Test captain Virat Kohli. BCCI is currently getting a ‘no-conflict-of-interest’ undertaking signed by all Board members, and will ask all the players to follow suit next week.

The problem with the planned move is that Cornerstone, an agency that not only manages Virat Kohli – who has a significant say in deciding the playing XI – but also has business links with the Indian Test captain, has recently signed up new clients in Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan are already on the rolls of Cornerstone. The company is also in “advanced talks” with Mohammad Shami. According to Cornerstone CEO, Bunty Sajdeh, there are many other India players who have expressed interest in associating with his firm.

Current developments have an eerie similarity with the time when India captain MS Dhoni had faced allegations of “conflict of interest” when it was reported that he had a 15 % stake in Rhiti Sports Management, a company that managed him.

The company, at the time, also managed Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh.

‘Conflict of interest’ guidelines for players to be out soon: BCCI

“If there’s any conflict of interest on the player’s part — financial or otherwise – we will look into it. But rest assured, guidelines for the players will be out soon,” said BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya.

“Two years ago, when I was the interim head of the BCCI, I had drawn up a 12-point programme to clean up cricket, which included the conflict of interest issue of players. Somehow, those clauses were not put into effect.”

Cornerstone CEO Bunty Sajdeh said, “If Virat had ownership in the agency it would have amounted to a conflict of interest. In this case, he has no ownership in the agency. Virat is a client of Cornerstone and if CSE has any business interests with Virat or Rohit or Shikhar, I don’t see a conflict of interest.

“CSE is a licensing company and we are doing licensing business with him. It is a legitimate business, plus I am not getting into any cricket business with him or any BCCI-related business with Virat.

“Just because Kohli is the captain and we promote him, it does not mean that we are going to sign up with all Indian players. Virat was our client even before he played for India. The Indian team is in a transitional phase and we are looking at players who have a potential for the future.”

In the aftermath of the Lodha Committee’s verdict on the IPL scandal, there seems to be a renewed vigour in cleaning up Indian cricket, and the cleaning drive is not confined to administrative posts.