The 1983 World Cup WhatsApp group was buzzing since Tuesday morning as news trickled in that the leading wicket-taker of Kapil’s Devils that won India its first World Cup–Roger Binny–would become the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Given the unpredictable nature of BCCI politics, some had their doubts, but it became clear once it was announced that Binny was the only one to file his nomination papers for the president’s post.
“The whole ’83 family is very happy. Everyone has been congratulating him on the group,” said ’83 teammate Balwinder Singh Sandhu. “It’s a big achievement that one of us will be becoming the president of BCCI. He is growing in stature. I am sure he will do a good job.”
“Good things happen to good people,” said another teammate Madan Lal. “It’s also good that cricketers are now getting the top post in BCCI. First Sourav (Ganguly) and now Roger. You should use cricketers. I am not talking about the big commercial decisions. But for cricketing decisions, when it comes to planning and FTP, meeting demands of the players, I am sure they are the best people.”
“I am absolutely delighted to know that one of Champions of 83 is going to be the president of BCCI. Heartiest congratulations tto him as also to those who decided to make him the president,” said Binny’s senior teammate, Sunil Gavaskar.
Binny has well-wishers in his ’83 teammates and the rest of the cricket community by his side. But to live up to those expectations will be anything but a cakewalk. The former all-rounder’s performance as president will be closely monitored. Historically, player-presidents haven’t had memorable stints. Anil Kumble as president of Karnataka State Cricket Association (2010-12) and Binny’s predecessor Ganguly at BCCI didn’t have spectacular stints. Binny had, in fact, served as member of the managing committee under Kumble.
Kumble and his team of cricketer-administrators handed back power to fellow cricketer Brijesh Patel. Amongst cricketers who became player-presidents, Patel is credited with acquiring acres of land and developing cricket grounds across districts in Karnataka. But the creation of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), an off-shoot of IPL, which was Patel’s brainchild, came back to bite him. It was during Binny’s current stint as president of KSCA that the KPL spot-fixing scandal broke and saw cricketers, coaches and administrators pulled up for questioning, and arrested before being released on bail.
As a corrective measure, KSCA under Binny disbanded the franchise model of the league and took total control, from player drafts to player salaries, like any other domestic competition in a rebranded avatar – Maharaja T20 trophy, this year.
Binny had served as coach of the Mohammed Kaif-led U-19 World Cup-winning team of 2000. He also coached Bengal in domestic cricket in 2007. In 2014, he served as a national selector with Sandeep Patil the chairman. During his tenure, his son Stuart Binny was selected to play for India. Although Binny recused himself from those discussions, he continued to be questioned over conflict of interest.
Now tasked with leading the Indian cricket board that runs the 6-billion dollar IPL property and one which has to ensure its own league does not take the sheen away from Team India cricket, Binny will have his hands full.
His strength as a soft-spoken individual could also prove to be a limitation in running the show. “Knowing Ganguly, he was a very aggressive cricketer, but he appeared to be quite docile as president. Roger is absolutely the opposite. He is calm and composed. He speaks very softly; I hope he makes them hear his voice regarding the players and the game,” said another of Binny’s ’83 teammate Kirti Azad.
Binny will be working closely with secretary Jay Shah who has been actively running the board in his current tenure. The Shah-Ganguly partnership didn’t appear to be all that smooth and the success of the Binny-Shah combine will depend on how well they manage to demarcate their workspace.