Captain who taught Team India to believe set to be BCCI chief
NEW DELHI: When he took over as India cricket captain at the turn of the century, with the game in turmoil due to the match-fixing scandal, Sourav Ganguly rebuilt the team by betting on future stars, shielding them when the going got rough, and galvanising India’s batting stalwarts.
Almost two decades later, the 47-year-old, equipped with the rare skill to keep his constituency in good cheer while making blunt assessments, is on the verge of taking over as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Ganguly will achieve a rare double when his anointment is formalised on October 23, the date when the election for the board’s top post will be a mere formality. Ganguly will become only the second India skipper to take over as full-time BCCI president, emulating the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram, popularly known as Vizzy. Sunil Gavaskar was briefly the board’s interim president in 2014 following a Supreme Court directive.
Vizzy’s reign as captain was largely ornamental. He led India for three Tests on the 1936 England tour, and later became BCCI chief between 1954 and 56.
Unlike Vizzy, Ganguly, the current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, takes over the country’s cricket administration, which is in a state of flux not too dissimilar from when he became India skipper.
Three former Pakistan skippers have also headed their cricket board — Abdul Hafeez Kardar (who played three of his 26 Tests for India), Javed Burki and Ijaz Butt. Another former Pakistan skipper, Majid Khan, was the CEO of the Pakistan board.