Feature
Dhoni open to quitting captaincy if asked
Mirpur (Bangladesh): India’s limited overs cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said he will happily step down if that facilitates a performance upliftment, following the team’s first ever One-Day International (ODI) series loss against Bangladesh.
India lost their second ODI by six wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here on Sunday night to surrender the three-match series 0-2 after going down in the first game by 79 runs.
India’s descent began with a poor ODI tri-series in Australia at the beginning of the year followed by a flop World Cup defence where they exited at the semi-final stage against eventual champions Australia.
India’s performance came in for sharp criticism from all quarters and when asked if he would be willing to take the blame and quit captaincy, Dhoni said that he wouldn’t bat an eyelid about resigning.
“Yes, if it is a justifiable thing that if you remove me and the Indian cricket will start doing really well and if I am the reason for all the bad that is happening to Indian cricket, definitely I would love to step away and play as a player,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“Ultimately, you want India to win. It doesn’t matter who is the captain. I was never really in line to become a captain. It was a job or responsibility for me. I have taken that responsibility. If they want to take it away, I am happy to give it away.”
Dhoni has been captain since 2007, taking over the mantle from batting legend Rahul Dravid after a first round exit at the World Cup in the West Indies. He then moulded the team into a world-beating unit, winning the World Twenty20, the 2011 ODI World Cup and also the 2013 Champions Trophy and took India to the top of rankings in Tests too.
But he has been under intense pressure due to dwindling fortunes and gave up Test captaincy when he retired midway through a four-match Test series in Australia last year. India lost the series 0-2.
In the wake of India’s fresh defeat against Bangladesh, Dhoni was asked if he still enjoyed the task of leading the team, to which he replied in the affirmative.
“I am really enjoying my cricket. I know this question was coming. I know the media really loves me,” the 33-year-old said.
He emphasised that he was more concerned about his and the team’s performance rather than who leads the squad.
“What is more important is to play for the country and contribute to the team and try to keep the dressing-room atmosphere good so that whenever youngsters are coming in, they can come and perform. That will be the ultimate achievement for me,” said the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman.
“Also, it is slightly different. Indian cricket had been used to players coming in toned, ready for international cricket. Now it has changed. You have to grind it through. Cricket has changed and all that. We have had tough times. That’s what cricket is all about. You can’t win every series you play.”
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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