Roger Binny, a key member of India’s 1983 World Cup winning campaign, is set to take over as BCCI president on October 18. Binny replaces former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who will no longer hold an official position on the board after reportedly turning down the IPL chairmanship. Binny’s appointment is only a matter of time as he is the only one to file for the presidency and will be elected unopposed at next Tuesday’s AGM. Former India coach and Binny’s former teammate Ravi Shastri was delighted with the development. Shastri said Binny will tick all the boxes to become a successful BCCI president and take Indian cricket forward.
“I am delighted because he was my colleague at the World Cup. There is continuity because he was the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. So he is moving on to become the president of the BCCI. And I am extremely happy.” as he is a World Cup winner who is the President for the first time in BCCI history. His credentials are unquestionable. He has all the boxes ticked to take up this post,” said Shastri Ayaz Memon at the ‘Meet-the-media programme’ at the Mumbai Press Club.
Binny represented India in 27 Tests and 72 ODIs, taking 47 and 77 wickets and nearly 1,500 runs. However, his greatest contribution came with the ball at the 1983 World Cup in England, where he took 18 wickets with his medium pace. Shastri, who was also part of India’s first World Cup triumph under Kapil Dev in 1983, said Binny’s first task should be to make cricket more spectator-friendly in India.
“Binny is a very affable guy, he has a mind of his own. He may not be the talkative type but when he opens his mouth I am sure he will be heard, especially on cricket matters. One area he would look at and Indian cricket has to look at 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 are greatly improved. he insisted that with the kind of money coming into the sport, with the kind of people coming into the field, he must get the best facilities. If that happens, the popularity of the sport will grow even further,” Shastri pointed out. Meanwhile, Jay Shah is set to get another term as BCCI secretary, Rajiv Shukla will remain as vice-president while Arun Dhumal, who was treasurer last term, will become the new IPL chairman in place of Brijesh Patel.
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