N Srinivasan and Amit Shah Are Effectively Running Indian Cricket Today: Ramachandra Guha Makes Big Revelations In His New Book
Nov 22, 2020 at 3:55 PM
Former member of Committee of Administrators (C0A) Ramachandra Guha has made huge accusations over cricket administration in India. He has alleged that Indian cricket is dancing on the tune of former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan and current Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the new book ‘The Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind’, Ramachandra Guha has given several controversial statements. And likewise in his interview with mid-day, he claimed that nepotism is rampant in Indian cricket. He went as far as saying that the Ranji Trophy players do not get their dues on time. Guha further rued that the BCCI is yet to adopt the reforms ‘that were hoped’
“N Srinivasan and Amit Shah are effectively running Indian cricket today. The state associations are run by somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son. The Board is steeped in intrigue and nepotism and there are great delays in paying Ranji Trophy players their dues. The reforms that were hoped for have not happened,” Ramachandra Guha told mid-day.
Ramachandra Guha voice against Sourav Ganguly:
Ramachandra Guha further took a dig at current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. He was critical of a former Indian captain endorsing a fantasy game despite being the board’s president. He stated that when a board president behaves in that manner, the ‘ethical standards go down’
“Not the biggest bane; it is a bane. Look at Ganguly today—head of the Board and representing some cricket fantasy game. This kind of greed for money among Indian cricketers is shocking,” he said when asked whether the conflict of interest is the biggest bane of Indian cricket.
“The most telling story in my book is about Bishan Singh Bedi saying that he is happy to go to Kabul [to coach Afghan cricketers]—anywhere for cricket and not anywhere for money. Why should Ganguly be doing all these things for a little extra money? Ethical standards go down if the president of the Board behaves like this,” he added.
Guha was one of the four members of the CoA appointed by the Supreme Court to run the BCCI in January 2017. The apex court had appointed the committee to ensure transparency in the administration of the BCCI. But in June, Guha had resigned from the committee, citing personal reasons.