Roger Binny on Tuesday was formally elected as the new President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India during the Annual General Meeting. The former India all-rounder, part of the 1983 World Cup winning squad, will replace former India captain Sourav Ganguly as the organisation’s 36th President.
Binny, 67, was elected president at a meeting of the BCCI in Mumbai, where secretary Jay Shah won another term in office, Rajeev Shukla told reporters. The decisions were soon confirmed in a press release issued by the board.
The other BCCI office bearers, who were unanimously chosen, were general secretary Jay Shah (retained his post), new treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice president Rajeev Shukla, and joint secretary Devajit Saikia.
Meanwhile, Arun Dhumal, the outgoing treasurer, will take over as IPL chairman when Birjesh Patel turns 70 in a month.
The following members were elected as the new Office Bearers of the BCCI:
(a) President: Roger Binny
(b) Vice President: Rajeev Shukla
(c) Secretary: Jay Shah
(d) Joint Secretary: Devajit Saikia
(e) Treasurer: Ashish Shelar
Binny becomes the third former Test player to head the BCCI as the official president. As a batsman, he could either open the innings or bat in the middle order. In 27 Tests, he scored 830 runs while accumulating another 629 runs from 72 ODIs.
But it was his medium-pace bowling and his ability to swing the ball both ways that made him a useful player to have in the squad. He picked 47 wickets in Test cricket and 77 in ODIs.
After hanging up his boots in 1987, Binny dabbled in coaching and sports administration.
He coached the junior team that won the Under-19 World Cup in 2000 and after a stint at the Karnataka State Cricket Association became a national selector in 2012.
Ganguly, 50, had initially been tipped to earn a second term as president after the Supreme Court’s recent order relaxed cooling-off periods.
Politicians from Ganguly’s home state of West Bengal have alleged that the former batter was forced out for political reasons.
Additionally, according to BCCI secretary and head of the Asian Cricket Council Jay Shah, the tournament will probably be shifted outside of Pakistan.
“The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah told media after the BCCI’s AGM, as reported by ESPNCricinfo. “I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue.”
The General Body also approved to conduct the Women’s Indian Premier League, the board’s press release stated.
With AFP inputs
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