Dubai: Three of the biggest names in Indian cricket history — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid — are likely to become advisors to the current team.
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee meeting held on Sunday discussed a plan to approach the three legends to become advisors on all cricket-related matters with an eye to lifting the sagging image of the board.
Though a BCCI press release after the meeting did not mention the names of the trio, it is widely believed to be Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid who will be approached.
The working committee authorised BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya to form a cricket advisory committee comprising prominent cricketers who will provide recommendations for the overall conduct and development of the game. It is understood that some members are keen on having these three, who played a vital role in transforming Team India into a formidable power in world cricket.
The topic of appointing the new coach was also part of the working committee meeting. It was decided that the process to identify the coach and support staff for the senior national team will be undertaken by Dalmiya and BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.
Two of three former players linked with the advisory roles — Ganguly and Dravid — are also candidates to become the next Team India coach.
The working committee also recommended India opener Rohit Sharma, who cracked a world record One Day International innings of 264 against Sri Lanka in November last year, for the prestigious Arjuna award for 2015.
Chennai Super Kings’ de-merger was also discussed on Sunday. The franchise was valued at a meagre Rs5 lakh (Dh30,000 approx) as India Cements transferred its control to a trust in February this year. It is understood the IPL governing council, headed by Rajeev Shukla, has not accepted this valuation.
According to rules, five per cent of the sale price of any team must be given to the BCCI. Hence this sale would fetch the BCCI only Rs25,000. The committee hence decided to seek a legal opinion on the de-merger and transfer of shares of CSK for further action.
Meanwhile, a new scandal is brewing thanks to reports that N. Srinivasan, the former BCCI president and current ICC chairman, spied on BCCI members using a private London-based agency at the Indian cricket board’s expense.
Srinivasan allegedly used the agency to tap phones and track emails of BCCI members.
Though it was expected that a discussion on scrapping the Champions League Twenty20 event would be taken, the committee did not discuss the matter. Domestic T20 sides from five countries would incur huge financial losses if the tournament is scrapped, but India are reportedly keen to play more international matches rather than this tournament.
