Credibility of BCCI is important: Sourav Ganguly to THE WEEK

Sourav Ganguly is going to be a busy man for the next 10 months. He is going to be elected to a post, which has been lying vacant since 2017—that of the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. It has been an eventful 33 months for the BCCI, with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators running Indian cricket.

The former Indian captain will take over the reins of the Board at a time when its image has taken a severe beating. Ganguly is in familiar territory, having taken over as the skipper of the Indian team that was recovering from the shock of the match-fixing scandal in 1999-2000.

Would this be a turning point in Indian cricket again? In a telephone interview with THE WEEK, Ganguly says the situation is, in a way, similar to 1999-2000. “It was a young, new team then. Same is the case with our office bearers. They are completely new, because the current system—the disqualification criteria— has forced this upon us.”

The former southpaw says he took up the responsibility only because the members wanted him to. But Ganguly has vowed to do his best in these 10 months. As BCCI president, renegotiating India's position within the ICC, finding a practical solution to the conflict of interest clause and improving first-class cricket are top of his agenda.

The former India captain, fondly called 'Dada', said he would be looking to enlist the services of his former teammates. But, will conflict of interest be a hurdle?

“It [the conflict of interest issue] has to be more practical. You cannot throw people out of everything,” says Ganguly to THE WEEK, hinting that former players will play an important role under his watch.

A man known for speaking his mind, Ganguly will undoubtedly make these 10 months at the helm eventful.

Read Sourav Ganguly's full interview in the latest issue of THE WEEK dated October 27, now on stands.