5 most powerful men in Indian Cricket

The cricket world today is highly dominated by India, be it on the field or off it. Before India won the World cup in 1983, it was a nation that played the game very less frequently as compared to other nations and no one really gave the nation a chance to stand in front of the other giants of the game.

But a bunch of youngsters led by the great Kapil Dev, did something that none could ever imagine when they defeated the mighty West Indies in the final to become the world champions and emerged as a powerhouse of the game.

The times have changed since then. The baton of supremacy was passed on to the likes of Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and MS Dhoni who kept on strengthening the superiority of Indian Cricket.

Not only in the game, India was getting its hold in the ruling of the game too. As the game kept commercializIng in the country, the board BCCI was getting richer and richer. Today, close to 70% of the ICC's income comes because of BCCI and hence influence of the country on the sport is enormous.

The present stature of India involves several current and former cricketers as well as BCCI officials. Here are 5 such powerful men in Indian cricket:

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#5 Anil Kumble

One of the best bowlers of his generation and certainly the best to have ever represented India, Anil Kumble is the current coach of Indian cricket team, probably the second toughest job he plays after being the captain a few years ago. The position of the coach of Indian cricket team has always been a huge one and there is no one better than Kumble to fit in.

As the coach, he gets to make calls of the team, decide the team combination, design the strategies and has a huge say in the fortune of the team.

He is the leading wicket-taker for India across all formats with 619 wickets in Tests and 334 in ODIs and is amongst the most honourable players ever in world cricket. Recently, he was appointed as the coach of the team and his position in Indian cricket can be evaluated from the fact that the leg-spinner surpassed 56 other applicants for the job.

He has got a lot to do in the coming year as India is going to face some tough competitions from New Zealand, England and Australia at home.

#4 Sourav Ganguly

Popularly known as Dada, he had an immense influence on Indian cricket as a captain. Before he took over, the team was hardly ever successful overseas, but it was him who made the team believe that there was more to be achieved outside the country.

He was responsible for building the strong base of the team and nurturing youngsters like Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. He also led India to the World cup final in the year 2003 which in itself was a huge achievement.

The left-hander who was famous for his elegance in the strokes through the off-side is presently the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), a reputed board of the country. A few months ago, he was appointed by the BCCI to be a part of the panel alongside Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman to elect the coach of Indian cricket team.

His opinions on the game are very highly regarded and the position is valued by one and all. For a person with such powers, he surely has bigger roles to play in the future.

#3 Virat Kohli

The current captain of the Indian Test side and perhaps the best batsman in the modern era, Virat is the new face of Indian cricket. His growth in the game is one heck of a story.

The fact that he is leading India in Tests is huge as many aspiring cricketers dream of just being able to get selected in the Test side. Not only Tests, he is a certainty to be the captain in ODIs as well as T20s once Dhoni hangs his boots.

He has been regarded by many greats of the game as the finest of the modern generation. At the age of 27, he has done wonders that fans compare him to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and consider him to be the one who can get anywhere close to the records of the master.

His attitude towards the game is like no one else, very passionate and never ready to give up. The right-hander is already a legend of the game and if he keeps going like this, he will end up as one of the greats of the game.

#2 MS Dhoni

Leading the Indian cricket team in the ODIs and T20s, Dhoni is the most successful captain ever for the nation. He has achieved everything there is to be achieved which includes India becoming number 1 in Test rankings in 2008, winning 2011 ODI World Cup, 2007 World T20, 2013 Champions Trophy, 2009 and 2010 IPL trophies, 2010 and 2014 Champions League T20 trophies.

There is no other captain in any part of the world who has tasted so much success.

The captain cool in his tenure has made some very tough decisions like dropping the seniors for the better of the team. He has a distinguished style to approach the game that none could ever guess.

Known for his brilliant finishing abilities, he has won the games for team from literally losing positions. Though his skills might be wearing out with age, his strength in Indian cricket is not questionable by any sorts of imagination.

#1 Anurag Thakur

The current president of BCCI and the member of parliament, Anurag Thakur holds the position which is the most powerful in Indian cricket. He was appointed as the president of BCCI unopposed in May 2016. Before that, he was the secretary of the board and has done a pretty commendable job in removing the people who were denting the image of Indian cricket.

He moved up the ranks rapidly as he took Himachal Pradesh cricket to new heights and is responsible for building the most picturesque ground of the world in Dharamsala. His passion for the game is quite evident as he has played the game at certain levels in his younger days.

Since he took over as the president of BCCI, he has introduced several reforms that can take Indian cricket to a new level. After the dirty politics that hampered the Indian cricket, he is the right man for the job to ensure India holds its supremacy in world cricket.