Sourav Ganguly, one of India’s most successful captain, became the 39th President of the BCCI at the Annual General Meeting. With this, the 33-month rule of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators has come to an end. Soon after taking the reins of BCCI, Ganguly begins exactly how he began as the captain. He clearly stated that performance is the most important thing and it will decide the future of Indian cricket. Ganguly indicated in his trademark aggressive style that ‘performance‘ will be the most important parameter in the selection of the team. After taking over as BCCI president, the prince of Kolkata said that he would talk to the Indian captain and discuss the future course of action of the team. “Performance is the most important thing and will decide the future of Indian cricket. Virat is the most important man in the entire context. We will support him, we will listen to him. I have been a captain myself so I understand. Mutual respect will be there, opinions and discussions will be there and we will do what is best for the game.” Ganguly said, getting straight down to the business.
Donning the same blazer which he had got when he became captain of the Indian cricket team on his first day in the office, Ganguly chalked down his plans in front of the reporters. “I will speak to him (Virat) tomorrow. He is the captain of the Indian team and the most important person in Indian cricket. So we will have a word with him and as I said we will support him in every possible way, he wants to make this team the best in the world. It has been a great team, to be honest with the way they have played in the last three to four years.”
Ganguly said he will also sit with the team management which also includes head coach Ravi Shastri. “It will be a proper discussion and everything will be mutually discussed but be rest assured, we are here to make their life easier, not make their life difficult. Everything is on the basis of performance,” he further elaborated.
Earlier, Sourav Ganguly himself had questioned the team selection method of BCCI. He said that more and more players should be given the opportunity to play in every format. Ganguly had raised questions by tweeting when Ajinkya Rahane was not included in the ODI squad. Ganguly has always batted for consistency in team selections so that players are given the required run to prove their mettle. Hopefully, we see a change in this scenario under Ganguly.
Time has come for indian selectors to pick same players in all formats of the game for rhythm and confidence.. too few are playing in all formats ..great teams had consistent players ..it’s not about making all happy but picking the best for the country and be consistent..@bcci
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) July 24, 2019
There are many in the squad who can play all formats ..surprised not to see shubman gill ..Rahane in the one day squad..
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) July 24, 2019
“My only thing is that they need to win big tournaments. They are not going to win every time but they have gone through seven tournaments without winning one,” Ganguly had told reporters at the iconic Eden Gardens when he had returned from a BCCI meeting last week. Speaking on the subject after assuming office Ganguly said “Yes you can say that they have not won a World Cup but you don’t win a World Cup every time. Hopefully, we will support him, whatever he wants and we will make sure Indian cricket goes ahead smoothly.”
After losing the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan in 2017, Anil Kumble was forced to relinquish the post of coach of the Indian team and Ravi Shastri became India’s coach. Kumble had revealed on social media that he had to forego the coach’s post as he did not have a good relationship with the Indian skipper. Now that Ganguly has taken over the office, there is optimism that such factionalism and partiality will be curbed.
The optimism arises from the fact that Sourav Ganguly kept the team together with senior players and legends of the game like Sachin, Dravid, Kumble not only playing under him but succeeding at the highest level. Any player’s performance at the domestic and international level will form the basis of their selection, which augurs well for Indian cricket team setup. Both the BCCI and the Indian team have lacked discipline in recent times. With Ganguly at the helm of affairs in BCCI, Virat Kohli and his men would be under serious observation as we have seen, Dada always means business and he would not be expecting anything less from the team than a shiny silverware ICC trophy in the cabinet.