BCCI’s longestserving employee calls it a day

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I wanted to complete a halfcentury with the BCCI, but my request for an extension has not been granted yet

SITARAM TAMBE, longest-serving employee of the cricket board

MUMBAI: Indian cricket’s harbinger of good news for almost five decades — the one who informed a curly haired 16-year-old named Sachin Tendulkar and a strapping all-rounder called Kapil Dev of their selections to the national team — has walked into the sunset.

Perhaps the longest-serving employee in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sitaram Tambe’s retirement is in line with the decision of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) that those over 60 years old can no longer serve in the board.

Tambe is a veritable goldmine of information and anecdotes about the BCCI, which grew from a modest organisation to the world’s richest and most influential in cricket before his eyes. After serving for 48 years, he retired at the end of last month.

When Tambe started his innings in the board as a 16-year-old in 1969, he used to draw a salary of ₹25. So precarious was the BCCI’s financial situation back then, he would get paid once in three months as a combined sum.

One of his primary responsibilities was delivering various trophies to the venues where finals were being hosted. His last assignment was carrying the Ranji Trophy to Indore, where Vidarbha defeated Delhi in the final on Monday.

“I wanted to complete a half-century with the BCCI, but my request for an extension has not been granted yet,” Tambe told HT.

The sight of Tambe meant good news for players. Apart from delivering the cups to teams, he was also the one who would send telegrams informing players of their selections. “I have sent telegrams of their selection to Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Gundappa Viswanath and Kapil Dev. I have carried the BCCI awards (CK Nayudu) to Lala Amarnath’s and Kapil Dev’s residences in Delhi,” said Tambe, recalling his association with top cricketers. “I also delivered the official BCCI letter to Tendulkar’s father informing him of his son’s selection in the Indian team in 1989,” he said.