Saurav Ganguly’s appointment as BCCI president ushers a new era in Indian cricket
After much suspense and drama, former skipper Saurav Ganguly was formally elected as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), becoming the first player in 65 years to take charge of the high-profile post. Ganguly’s appointment has been hailed by cricket fans as well as players who are hoping that the 47-year-old retired cricket captain will bring a fresh start for the embattled governing body.
Ganguly’s stint at the BCCI comes at a time when the world’s richest cricket board has seen a tumultuous 33-month reign of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) following the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
His credentials for the top job cannot be doubted as Ganguly was a massively successful player and captain in the team. Also, he has been part of various ICC committees in the past and takes over as the 39th BCCI president after serving as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president for four years.
However, some critics say the recent appointments in the BCCI were influenced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who had met several members of the reconstituted board before the appointments were announced.
Along with Ganguly, Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah was made the secretary, Kerala’s Jayesh George was appointed as BCCI Joint Secretary while Mahim Verma of Uttarakhand became the new vice-president. Meanwhile, former BCCI President Anurag Thakur’s younger brother Arun Dhumal became the treasurer.
Ganguly’s appointment will, however, be a short one as he will have to go in for a cooling off period from September 2020, under the new rules. He has already stated that taking care of first-class cricketers and setting the house in order will be among his top priorities during the next few months.
“I don’t have a formula. It is what I know best and what my heart says. I will do what is good for Indian cricket. It is a huge responsibility. When I finish, I don’t want anybody to say cricketers are only good players and not good administrators,” said Ganguly.
Ganguly faces the tough task of rehabilitating the BCCI’s image and negotiating with the ICC, but the situation is not altogether new to him as he was made captain of the national team when Indian cricket was going through its darkest hour in the wake of the 2000 match-fixing scandal.
He led the team out of that crisis and turned it into a powerhouse across all formats. Hopes are high he will do the same this time around as well.
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