3 things Roger Binny should work on if he becomes BCCI president

Whatever the political and non-political reasons behind it may be, Sourav Ganguly is all set to be removed from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s presidency after a three-year tenure. The 1983 World Cup champion and former Karnataka pacer Roger Binny will replace him as the 36th board president.

A soft-spoken man on and off the field, Binny picked up 124 wickets and scored almost 1500 runs in his international career. He served as a member of the BCCI selection panel and is currently the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), apart from occasionally working as a pundit.

Binny has performed under pressure. But handling the most powerful cricketing organization in the world would be a different fish to fry. After all, Ganguly had a similar resume and had even captained India, but his tenure was underwhelming in some aspects.

Below are the three aspects where Binny can improve the BCCI.

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#1 Transparency or lack of it

Much was expected of Ganguly's tenure as, unlike many previous presidents, he played the game and understood the players' needs. But instead of proving that, his tenure saw the BCCI face massive criticism over transparency.

The selection committee has taken many controversial calls in the last three years, but hardly any squad announcement was followed by a press conference from the Board. This was especially prominent in the women's team, where surprise snubs of important players weren't followed up by even simple, one-lined explanations.

This led to more and more controversial reports from unnamed sources. Although off-the-record quotes are an important part of journalism, reporters depending on inside sources even for injuries of players showed the Board in a bad light.

The non-transparency peaked during the last few months of 2021 when Virat Kohli stepped down from the captaincy in all three formats. The influential former skipper spoke his heart out in press conferences (which were compulsory for him) and sometimes what he said went against the board's stands, which Ganguly failed to explain too.

The clarity in the selection calls is the least that fans can expect from the board. If Binny could bring that transparency, he would gain the admiration of many.

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#2 Roger Binny will have to avoid selection interference

Transparency is required, but it shouldn't come at the cost of autonomy. It was widely reported earlier this year that Ganguly had broken the rules mentioned in the BCCI constitution by sitting in the selection meetings. The secretary is the only BCCI office-bearer allowed this luxury, but he, too, can only act as a convener.

After Wriddhiman Saha was dropped from the Indian team in February, he revealed that Ganguly had assured him of selection until he was the board president. Ganguly made matters worse for himself when he said he wanted to "remind people" about his playing career in reply to a question about the issue.

He told PTI in February:

"I don't think I need to answer anybody anything (on this) and dignify any of these baseless accusations. I am the president of BCCI and I do the job of what the president of BCCI should be doing."

He added:

"Also just to let you know, I see a picture doing the rounds (of social media) showing me sitting in a selection committee meeting. I want to make it clear, that picture (where Ganguly can be seen sitting with secretary Jay Shah, skipper Virat Kohli and joint secretary Jayesh George) wasn't from a selection committee meeting.

"Jayesh George isn't a part of selection committee meetings. (I have played) 424 international matches for India. Not a bad idea at times to remind people about it, isn't it? (laughs)."

Such overreach when combined with both men's and women's teams' failure to win ICC trophies over the years only increases the frustration among fans and the fraternity. Binny's first job from the office of the BCCI president should be towards clear distribution of power and letting selectors pick the teams they like.

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#3 Women's IPL

A big failure of the Ganguly era came via the delay in hosting a Women's IPL. The board repeatedly cited the lack of players as a reason despite multiple reports showing otherwise. Now, after much to-and-fro, there's talk of a five-time women's IPL with 22 matches getting the green light to start next year.

Although still not at the level of the men's edition, which started with eight teams and now has 10, it's a step in the right direction. However, execution will be key. Binny will oversee the beginning of one of the most important tournaments in women's cricket and will have to be as carefully organized as possible.

Even if the scale isn't at par with the Men's IPL, the marketing, logistical readiness (like the pitch and the playing conditions) and broadcasting quality will have to be equally good. The BCCI's social media team, which doesn't pay as much attention to Women in Blue as it does to the men, will need to pull their socks as well.

The recent Asia Cup win showed India women's cricket is progressing briskly. Binny will have to make sure the Women's IPL acts like a catalyst and not a wet blanket in this time of excitement. Depending on the length of his tenure, he'll have to ensure the tournament quality only increases every year after its inception.

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