Ganguly braced for ‘great responsibility’
Former India captain set to become BCCI chief
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is poised to take over as the president of the country’s cricket board as nominations closed Monday for elections to the sport’s wealthiest and most powerful body.
Ganguly, 47, was the only candidate to file his nomination for the top post after being unanimously chosen as the presidential candidate at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members in Mumbai on Sunday.
One of the most successful national captains in the sport, Ganguly is set to be elected unopposed when BCCI elections are held on October 23.
| "Sourav Ganguly is a Bengali and also a former cricketer and so we will get some added advantage due to it. We will probably be more comfortable while discussing different issues with him. Many of us here have connections with him on a personal level and I think that will definitely be helpful. We can freely talk about the series that we could not play, some bilateral series and also regarding some junior level programmes with him." JALAL YUNUS BCB MEDIA COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN |
The left-handed opener retired from Test cricket in 2008 having accumulated 7,212 runs. Last month, he was re-elected president of the Cricket Association of Bengal.
“I am happy with the appointment because this is the time when BCCI’s image has got hampered and it’s a great opportunity for me to do something. It’s a big responsibility because it is the biggest organisation in the world of cricket. It will be a challenge,” Ganguly told reporters after filing his nomination papers.
“That’s one area that we will look into,” said Ganguly when asked about India’s representation at ICC. “We haven’t received any money from ICC in the last few years. Money in the sense what we deserve.
“For me, my biggest focus will be first-class cricket,” Ganguly revealed. “I have been very vocal about looking after the first-class players, especially the time they invest. First-class cricket is the base, the strength. I have written so many times in the last few years that the remunerations need to increase manifold. Look at cricket structure, look how governance happens and see smooth functioning happens with no issues.”
Ganguly will, however, have to go in for a cooling off period from July 2020 under the new rules. He has been holding posts in Cricket Association of Bengal for the past five years and an administrator can only serve six years on the trot.
Ganguly will be the second Indian captain to hold the top job in BCCI once elected after the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, Vijay Ananda Gajapathi Raju, who became the president of BCCI in 1954.