DDCA set for sweeping reforms, courtesy Rohan Jaitley

At 31, Jaitley is the youngest ever to occupy the post of DDCA president and is well aware of the “huge challenges” that lie ahead.

The biggest task, as Rohan Jaitley noted, is to “restore credibility” of the association.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is in for some sweeping reforms, beginning with welcome steps by the newly-elected president Rohan Jaitley. At 31, he is the youngest ever to occupy the post of DDCA president and is well aware of the “huge challenges” that lie ahead.

In the next few days, Jaitley is going to form a Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) with the best available players as members to guide the association. "By this weekend we will have a CAC in place to trigger the cricket process – preparing for the season ahead. The CAC will have the respect and support of the DDCA. I am very optimistic that Delhi cricket will gain from the wisdom that this CAC will bring to the job,” Jaitley told Sportstar on Tuesday.

Jaitley hinted at appointing a Head Coach for the state. “It is in the pipeline and we will look into this possibility of having a coach who will provide the vision for the entire state in all age groups. A robust local league is also a priority and it all depends when we can begin having competitions with all the safety protocols ion place.”

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The biggest task, as Jaitley noted, is to “restore credibility” of the association. “We are here to meet the growing expectations of all the stakeholders associated with the game in the Capital. I want to tell everyone that there won’t any compromise on issue related to governance. Transparency and accountability are going to be the key elements in our approach. I have a dedicated team which has assured its best to restore the glory that once Delhi was proud of in cricket circles,” Jaitley said.

“I want to see that the stadium (named after his father Arun Jaitley) is considered at par with the any international stadiums. The process had begun with redevelopment and up-gradation of facilities,” he said. The process has been divided into three parts : Stadium infrastructure, Cricket Infrastructure and Club infrastructure.

Jaitley explained, “The Stadium infrastructure will look at facilities like a state of the art gymnasium, indoor and outdoor modern practice facilities, a swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts. I have stepped into the Ferozeshah Kotla after a few years and I am very keen to introduce a system which will make the members’ experience at the stadium a pleasant one.”

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The DDCA president disclosed his plans to revamp the cricket structure. “We propose to set up two cricket academies in association with the DDA (Delhi Development Authority). These DDCA-run  academies will have the best of facilities and coaches. We want to reach out to youngsters from all over the city by facilitating these academies and providing them easy access. We are going to appoint Mentors as incharge of these academies where they would not only pick the talent but groom it by fine tuning their skills. I want to ensure that young cricketers of exceptional qualities are not lost to Delhi cricket. These Mentors will maintain data of these talented youngsters and put nin place where we monitor the progress of the players,” he added.

To ensure transparency in the administration, especially when dealing with financial affairs, Jaitley has appointed various committees and insisted on having two Government nominees in each. “We will have the right people in these committees. The presence of Government nominees adds to the credibility of these committees.”

Jaitley also gave an assurance that selection committee members would be backed by the DDCA. “We will stand by them and not interfere. If there are complaints, people can approach the Ombudsman (Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed). The CAC will also be there as a kind of watchdog.”

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As far as cricket was concerned, Jaitley  emphasized the need of delegating responsibility. “We are going to have specialists (physios, trainers, coaches) who will be accountable. We are going to fix responsibilities and their performances will be monitored. We will have a Players’ Welfare Committee to safeguard the interest of the cricketers."

Arun Jaitley Stadium, the headquarters of the DDCA.

 

Jaitley concluded with a promise to make cricket watching a “pleasant” experience for the spectators. “I promise you that the cricket fan will be treated with respect at the Ferozeshah Kotla right from the point of entry. He will have comfortable seats and the joy of an electronic scoreboard and a digital screen for all matches. Players, spectators, media and members of the DDCA will be proud of the cricket infrastructure we have planned to put in place.”