Former India coach and Binny’s former teammate, Ravi Shastri was delighted with the development. Shastri said Binny ticks all the boxes to become a successful BCCI president and take Indian cricket forward.
Roger Binny, a pivotal member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning campaign, is all set to take over as BCCI’s president on October 18. Binny will replace former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who will no longer hold an official position on the board after he reportedly rejected IPL chairmanship. Binny’s appointment is only a matter of time as he is the only one to have filed the nomination for the president’s post and will be elected unopposed at the AGM on next Tuesday. Former India coach and Binny’s former teammate, Ravi Shastri was delighted with the development. Shastri said Binny ticks all the boxes to become a successful BCCI president and take Indian cricket forward.
“I’m delighted, because he was my colleague in the World Cup. There’s continuity there because he was the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. So, he moves on to become the president of the BCCI. And I’m extremely happy because he’s a World Cup winner, who’s the president for the first time in the history of the BCCI. His credentials are unquestionable. He’s got all the boxes ticked to take up this post,” Shastri told Ayaz Memon at a ‘Meet-the-media programme’ at the Mumbai Press Club.
Binny represented India in 27 Tests and 72 ODIs taking 47 and 77 wickets respectively and close to 1500 runs. His biggest contribution was howeveer with the ball in the 1983 World Cup in England where he picke dup 18 wickets with his medium pace. Shastri, who was also a part of India’s maiden World Cup triumph under Kapil Dev’s leadership in 1983, said Binny’s first job should be to make cricket more spectator-friendly in India.
“Binny is a very amiable guy, he has got a mind of his own. He might not be a flippant type, but when he opens his mouth, I’m sure that he will be heard, especially on cricketing matters. One area that he would look into and Indian cricket must look into is the fact that you have to make Indian cricket a spectator-friendly sport, so for me, the most important thing is that the facilities at the ground should be upgraded big time. It should be insisted upon, with the kind of bucks coming into the sport, the kind of people who come into the ground, they’ve got to get the best facilities. If that happens, the popularity of the sport will soar even further” Shastri stressed.
Meanwhie, Jay Shah is set to get another term as BCCI secretary, Rajiv Shukla will remain as the vice president while Arun Dhumal, who was the treasurer in his last term will become the new IPL chairman in place of Brijesh Patel.
