Cricket GOSSIP sells, BCCI can stop it by having a professional media manager

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Wikileaks publishes classified documents. It has been sensational, though, now, Julian Assange is a free man and has found solace in Australia. Wikileaks was always sensational, there was truth in it.

Sadly, 'BCCI leaks' is the new thing which has become a trend. Any news can be published, zero attribution, no verification, and bowling more bouncers than permitted.

There may have been an impression, one day before the Sydney Test, Rohit Sharma will be history and coach Gautam Gambir will be on the ascendant.

All kinds of stories have done the rounds. More, now, since a 'post-mortem' has also been conducted in Mumbai over the weekend. All stories fly into social media and media, again, with zero attribution. It's accepted, there is no fact check, there is no verification.

Everything sells in the name of news, where social media is the biggest trend-setter. That it sets the agenda for main media is now an accepted fact. Add to it wire services also pushing stories without attribution, this is the biggest sign any news can be put out. If it was attacking players' wives - Anushka Sharma, Sanjana Ganesan and a few more two days back - Gautam Gambhir is now under fire.

He deserves it and is now under the scanner. This writer has repeatedly flagged in MyKhel, Gambhir has been a failure. He has not been able to keep the flock together. What has made it worse, now, for the coach, he is himself under fire. That is also being reported now, for, Gambhir has not been bestowed absolute powers. There has been a change in the BCCI as well, with a new secretary and treasurer coming in. Of course, one man who is a permanent fixture in the BCCI, minus any age and tenure limit, is Rajeev Shukla. He has media friends and they lap it up. In fact, he has been doing it for years. Those with access to Shuklaji can get stories. How much is verified and how much is fiction does not matter.

It is also well-known captain Rohit Sharma also feeds a section of the media. It includes media, social media and YouTubers as well. Gambhir had a PR agency at work, before he asked it to go silent. Now, the latest is, Gambhir's had someone hanging around as his manager or PA in Australia with unlimited access to seating in VIP enclosures, and more info. Reports say he was also privy to classified info. Was he also a 'news source' Gambhir knows best.

It is easy to blame one and all today. This is almost like stripping everyone and parading them. First, Rohit was the target, then the players' wives and now the coach himself. One thing is certain, Gambhir has failed as a coach and man manager, he has not been able to bond the players' together. If it is true that he even scolded Morne Morkel in Australia and that news finds its way into a newspaper, imagine how much gossip is churned out daily. The fault lies with the system, really.

If the BCCI does not have a media manager, this is bound to happen. In the absence of official communication, anything becomes news and none can verify or deny it. The BCCI also has to be blamed for not engaging a media officer to speak/interact with the media. When IPL teams are already putting out press releases for the 2025 season, why has the BCCI stayed away from sharing verified information. Or, does the BCCI enjoy washing dirty linen in public? It's also hilarious to read players want to put in more effort in IPL and not in Tests. Don't believe this, please. If the IPL is a monster, the BCCI created it, milks it and fills its own coffers.

We mock Pakistan, yet even the Pakistan Cricket Board has a media manager. The BCCI media section role cannot end with just media accreditations. There is a bigger role to be played. More filth will come out, more dirt will fly daily in the name of 'post mortem' leaks. After 'Dressing Room' leaks, this is the latest. The BCCI can plug it. Does it have the will?