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ShareMumbai: The twain has met. The much-talked-about meeting of Mumbai Cricket Association's Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) brought the two legends together on Saturday.
Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, former India captains and teammates, came together on the game's administrative platform after almost three years. As a Mumbai cricket insider said, it was a cordial meeting where the two, along with other CIC members, brainstormed for over two hours on the way forward for Mumbai cricket.
The last time Gavaskar and Vengsarkar shared a cricketing forum was when the former was the chairman of the National Cricket Academy and the latter was the chairman of the BCCI's Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW).
Vengsarkar, who had skipped the previous CIC meeting, attended Saturday's meet after reportedly receiving a letter from chairman Gavaskar himself.
Neither Gavaskar nor Vengsarkar could be reached for comments but one MCA official said Vengsakar's involvement was important because of his knowledge of Mumbai cricket from the grassroots to the highest level. Besides, his contribution to Mumbai cricket is considered immense. The 116-Test veteran is also the vice-president of the MCA and it is natural that he has been made part of the policy-making process.
Among the key decisions, it was learnt that the CIC has decided to lift the one-year cooling-off period for cricketers who leave Mumbai to play for other states. As per existing rules, players like Amol Muzumdar, who is currently playing for Assam, would have had to wait for a year before being eligible to play for the city team. However, the CIC decided to 'scrap' the cooling-off period from next year.
This means that if Muzumdar decides to come back to Mumbai, he will be eligible to play for the Ranji champions. That, of course, is possible only if he's selected.
When asked if such a decision was taken, MCA joint-secretary Hemant Waingarkar said "not yet" but another member, who was present at the meeting, confirmed to DNA that the decision will come into effect from next year. The proposal to scrap the cooling-off period was proposed by Iqbal Shaikh, secretary, Police Gymkhana. Shaikh was present when the discussion was held.
Meanwhile, Aijaz Ashai has been retained as the physio of the Mumbai Ranji team despite complaints from players. The members of the CIC have told skipper Wasim Jaffer and coach Pravin Amre to speak to the players. Jaffer, Amre and chief selector Padmakar Shivalkar were special invitees to the meeting.
