Gautam Gambhir, Madan Lal set to be appointed as CAC Members

What's the story?

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and former all-rounder Madan Lal are set to become the new members of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). A senior BCCI official confirmed their appointment on Sunday (12th January, 2020). Former women's international player, Sulakshana Naik may become the third member of the committee.

The background

The CAC was first formed in 2015 by Anurag Thakur and Jagmohan Dalmiya. Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman were the first members of this committee and their job was to advise the BCCI on the issues prevailing to Indian cricket. They have to report to the BCCI President and secretary. They will also play a role in electing the selection committee members for the next 4 year cycle.

The heart of the matter

Talking to PTI on the condition of anonymity, a senior BCCI representative confirmed that Madan Lal and Gautam Gambhir are all set to be the CAC members. Sources also reported that Mumbai's female cricketer, Sulakshana Naik will be the third member of this group. Being the senior member of the group, Lal will head the committee. When asked about his reaction to this development, the 1983 World Cup hero commented:

“I don’t know if it’s fair on my part to make a formal comment or not as BCCI has not announced.”

However, the sources have confirmed that BCCI had spoken to him a few days ago and Madan Lal had duly accepted the offer. The source said

“Yes, they did ask Madan for his consent and he had told them it will be an honour to be on CAC. It doesn’t matter if it’s one meeting or half a meeting,”

Since he works for as a cricket expert for a TV channel, there were questions over the conflict of interest that may arise if he becomes a CAC member. Reflecting his views on the same, Madan said:

“Let me first get my appointment letter and obviously there will be terms of reference and guidelines.”

What's next?

The first project for the new CAC members will be to find the replacements of the outgoing duo of MSK Prasad and Gagan Khoda. It will be intriguing to see who becomes the next chief selector of the Indian cricket team.