The IOA isn't alone. There are others waiting to give the cricket establishment a kick in the butt. And all of them are eminent sports personalities who in their own way have given a chunk of their lives to get the flag on top. In some cases, the extent of indignation at the `Commonwealth farce' is scorching. ``Cricketers have broken all barriers of greed and the lure of going to Toronto for Sahara Cup has fully exposed them,'' says Sonic Multani, one of India's top stars on the billiards and snooker circuit.

Sure, there are a few ex-cricketers too who have not been able to digest the dollar signs twinkling from our cricketers' eyes. But, as expected, most of them, like former skipper DilipVengsarkar and former National coach Madan Lal, have preferred to blast the establishment for the ``confusion.''Says Vengsarkar: ``There has been a lot of confusion ever since the Commonwealth Games-Sahara Cup controversy triggered off. You hear the BCCI president, the BCCI secretary and the Pakistan Cricket Board all saying different things at different times. Even the players are confused. No one is sure of anything, including the rules of the tournament.''

``Times have changed,'' admits Madan Lal, one of the 1983 World Cup stars. ``There is nothing like playing under the National flag. But, the whole controversy could have been avoided if the team had not been split into two. We should have sent one strong team for either the Commonwealth Games or the Sahara Cup,'' he adds.

Yet, such moderate voices were few and far in between as The Indian Express talked to sportpersons on the farce at the Commonwealth. First were the tennis stars, for whom the Davis Cup is as close to the battlefront as they can everbe. Says twice Wimbledon semi-finalist Ramanathan Krishnan:

``Money is important but ultimately playing for the country involves a sense of pride and honour. It all boils down to a the person's conscience.'' Adds Naresh Kumar, former Davis Cup captain: ``We were all disappointed when the team lost in the semi-finals. It is a terrible thing when a player is charged with not giving his best for his country.''

A stronger comment comes from more interesting quarters, a former captain of the women's cricket team. Says Diana Eduljee: ``I think it's very sad that a medal holds little importance in front of mega-bucks. I am absolutely sure that players like Leander (Paes) will take more pride in playing for the country than the cricketers. Also, I fail to understand why spend so much money in sending two players for just one match.'' Here comes the clincher: ``At least, the women would have played with more love and passion.''

The cricketers, however, got unexpected support from the hockey fields many ofwhich have now given way to make-shift cricket turfs. According to former India star, Joachim Carvalho: ``I just cannot believe that any sportsperson will sacrifice the interests of the country. I would put the entire blame on (Suresh) Kalmadi. Why should he, as the IOA president, pressure the BCCI into sending some of their best players to Commonwealth Games when even England is not sending a team?''

But the man declared best coach of last season's National Football league, Air India's Bimal Ghosh, has an interesting angle to offer. He feels the players were mentally unfit for the Commonwealth Games. ``I believe it's an event they are not used to playing.''

Even then, he can't resist taking a passing swipe. ``With professionalism and sponsorship dominating international cricket, the absence of money and the ensuing lack of motivation can be understood. Being human and caught in a `double mind' was bound to take its toll,'' is his cheeky rejoinder.Indian chess Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua would not takenames but his priorities are quite clear in this debate. ``Of course, money is important as we have sustain ourselves, but if faced with a situation where I have to decide between representing the country and playing in an invitation tournament, I will opt to represent the country.''

Coming back to former cricketers, those of the elder generation were quick to prise out the lack of ``seriousness'' in India's Commonwealth campaign. Former India opener Pankaj Roy says, ``I do feel that the team for the Commonwealth Games were not very serious. I did not watch all the matches, but I still feel they should have been a bit more serious. Players lost motivation after the side was divided. Australia had a full team and the commitment was much more.''

Former captain Chandu Borde, is more scathing in his assessment. ``Winning a gold medal for the country is what a sportsman longs for. Not a series win against Pakistan. Moreover, split teams will never win matches. In trying to kill two birds, the BCCI has taken awrong step. For any team to win matches, it must have a certain combination. That was lacking in the present teams. They have hardly played together!''

`Cricketers exposed'