Tip for Lalit Modi: Don't fight ICC, just take over it

By John Cheeran
In the beginning of this edition of Champions Trophy, there was enough uproar.
Disagreement over an agreement.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took on the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the fineprint over Members Participation Agreement. The issue remains yet to be resolved with India refusing to sign on the dotted lines.
At one stage, this battle appeared to be one that between BCCI vice president Lalit Modi and ICC President Malcolm Speed.
Modi wrote in The Times of India that ICC is approaching cricketing India as the new East India Company, an entity that exploited India's vast riches and brought in the vices of modernity.
ICC is the new East India Company and Modi said the BCCI will fight against the cricket imperialism.
Modi is right in his own way. India is the dominating force in global cricket. India has the biggest fan base and the nation offers the largest sponsorship support to the game.
Cricket television rights derive their sustenance based on the unlimited viewership for any international game in India.
Simply put Lalit Modi's argument is this. We have the money. Don't tell us what to do. Don't try to rips us off. We know how to run the game..
All these points are absolutely true and I fully agree with Modi on these areas.
But Modi should realise that every game will have an international body to oversee the development of the sport; you cannot quarrel with that.
ICC is a reality as much as FIFA is a reality in football world and United Nations in global affairs.
Instead of railing against ICC's Australian official Speed, Modi and BCCI President Sharad Pawar should strategize now to take over the structure of the ICC. You can't fight ICC but you can as well own ICC.
The United States fund the United Nations as much as Indian board contribute to the ICC.
The US ensures that no resolution is passed against its policies in the United Nations. Lot of empty talk goes on all the time, but the US controls the agenda of the UN.
Modi should stop mere talking and take the fight to another level.
Taking over the levers of power in the ICC. It calls for hard lobbying and it is a goal worth pursuing so that India can have the maximum benefit of its unchained financial potential.
It is true that Jagmohan Dalmiya was warmed the ICC chair in the past but unfortunately he could not shake the pillars of power. He only became one of them for a while.
Modi has to do better than Dalmiya.
And he can take a few lessons from Laxmi Mittal and Ratan Tata in takeover stratagems.