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Perhaps no other cricket administrator has been the focus of controversy in the last twelve months or so as Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jagmohan Dalmiya.

It all began with the Wills World Cup, staged by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in February 1996. Widely -- and rightly -- credited with being the person who, by astute vote-gathering from among the ICC's associate member nations, pipped England's bid to stage the World Cup that year and brought it to the sub-continent, Dalmiya, however, found himself targetted for flak when the much-hyped opening ceremony at Calcutta turned into a damp squib.

Almost immediately thereafter, he hit the headlines again when he stood for election to the post of ICC chairman. Controversial statements by South African candidate Kris Mackerduj -- who accused him of politicking, among other things -- notwithstanding, Dalmiya looked a cert for election. Till, that is, the ICC moved to stymie his bid, with a last minute rule change pushed through by incumbent Sir Clyde Walcott.

Dalmiya -- and the Board -- did make noises threatening legal action, but nothing came of it at the time. This time round, the BCCI has nominated him as its candidate yet again. And again, Dalmiya looks a shoo-in for the election. The Board, meanwhile, is on record as saying it will back Dalmiya's candidature to the hilt -- the implication being that if legal action is needed, then the BCCI will not shy away as it did the last time.

He is, thus, seen as the person most likely to -- and capable of -- breaking the England-Australia-South Africa-West Indies monopoly on the ICC. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India have long smarted under what was perceived as step-motherly treatment -- and Dalmiya, who enjoys enormous goodwill among the associate nations of the ICC, is widely seen as the man most capable of righting that wrong.

However, his ambition has had a fallout of sorts, in that Dalmiya is seen as directly responsible for the frenetic schedule drawn up for Indian cricketers - a schedule that has already led to the physical breakdown of Javagal Srinath. Dalmiya had, earlier, indicated that he would like to see cricket being played round the year, and that he was in favour of Test-playing nations going on tours to associate countries to popularise the game in those parts.

India's tour of Singapore for a ODI series last year, the scheduling of the India-Pakistan ODI series in Canada, the abortive bid to have the Indian team visit Bermuda at the end of the recent South Africa tour are all in keeping with that mindset.

But while such tours may have won him the goodwill of the cricket boards of the concerned countries, it cannot be denied that it has been at the cost of the physical and mental well being of India's overworked cricketers -- and with Srinath returning from the Caribbean tour without bowling a single ball, the issue has come into sharp focus.

As if all this weren't enough, there is the recent case of Polly Umrigar's resignation, amid allegations that his suggestions for the welfare of Indian cricketers had not been taken seriously.

This, then, the man who will appear on the Rediff Chat, live, on Wednesday, March 5, at 2100 hours IST (1030 hours Eastern). It is a chance for cricket lovers everywhere to air their views, and get answers for the burning questions of the day - a chance you cannot afford to miss. So be there!