Former International Cricket Council Chairman and BCCI president N. Srinivasan is keeping his cards close to his chest over the future of Indian cricket board and what lies ahead. Making an appearance in the press tribunes, the former strongman of Indian cricket chose to reserve his comments on the Supreme Court-led administrative and structural reforms in the richest cricket board, saying that he would continue to keep his own counsel over it for the time being.
Asked to comment on the Damocles' sword hanging over the BCCI, Srinivasan said, “I have lots to say but not now.” The SC is scheduled to give its order on removal of top office bearers of the BCCI as recommended by Justice R.M. Lodha Committee in its status report.
The epic battle between the BCCI and the Supreme Court of India had started in 2014 when Srinivasan was the unchallenged boss of Indian cricket. However, facing the heat from both the court and within the BCCI over the IPL spot fixing controversy involving the India Cements owned Chennai Super Kings and his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan was forced to 'step aside' as the BCCI president, and later an SC order in 2015 resulted in his resignation from the top post. However, he continued to be the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.
Srinivasan, one of the top industrialists of the country—he is the managing director of Indian Cements—is also an avid golfer. He has been focussing on golf—the Guindy Golf Course, where he can be seen often, has not escaped the wrath of Cyclone Vardhaa. He perked up at the mention of golf saying, “The course is getting cleaned up. Should be OK by the evening.”
He refused to comment on senior politician Sharad Pawar resigning as the Mumbai Cricket Association president on Saturday citing stinging observations by the top court on people past 70 holding on to their posts in the BCCI. “He is a bigger and more powerful politician for me to comment on,”said Srinivasan, who himself is past 70. Once the reforms process reaches the state level, the age and tenure norm will see his innings also ending.
On the state associations having their Plan B in place once the SC order on January 3 comes and TNCA's alternate administrative plans on the same, Srinivasan maintained, “Let the BCCI first adopt the reforms.” This is the stance that all full member associations of the BCCI have taken in the Special General Body Meetings post the July 18 order of the SC which ordered time bound implementation of all the reforms recommended by the Lodha Committee.
