Former Indian captain Souray Ganguly is set to be named as the new president of the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control of India) at their annual general meeting which will be held in Mumbai on October 23rd. It will be the first time in its history that a former skipper will take charge of the organisation.
It also marks a return to democracy for the BCCI, after three years of being led by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA).
Ganguly was not the first choice – that was instead Brijesh Patel who was the agreed pick. However, with a number of the states opposing his candidacy, Ganguly’s name was suggested as a compromise alternative, and he now appears to have carried the day, after turning down an earlier offer to become vice-president.
His spell in charge will only be a short one, because new rules passed by the BCCI stipulate that he must go for a compulsory “cooling off period” next July. For the past five years Ganguly has been holding posts in Cricket Association of Bengal, where he currently serves as president and an administrator can only serve six consecutive years under the new regulations.
Ganguly has stated that his main priority in his stint as president will be to look after the interests of first-class players – those playing Test cricket and at Ranji Trophy level – and to see that they are looked after financially, something which he feels has been neglected in recent years.
47 year old Ganguly played for India in 113 tests and more than 300 ODIs, scoring more than 18,000 international runs, and achieving a highest score of 239. He assumed the captaincy in 2000, when Sachin Tendulkar stepped down from the role for health reasons, and against a backdrop of the game in India being severely tarnished after a series of match fixing scandals involving some international players.
He is credited with restoring India’s pride in itself again as a cricket playing nation, and one that could win overseas. However, following indifferent form in 2004, which continued into the following year, he was dropped from the team, and the baton as skipper passed to his vice-captain Rahul Dravid.
In 2004, Ganguly was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian award, in recognition of his distinguished contribution in the field of sports, and was presented with his award by the then President of India, Dr. A.P.J, Abdul Kalam.
