As the New Boss of BCCI, Here’s What Should be on Ganguly’s Agenda

From a high-performance centre to a ‘Director of Cricket’, here’s what should be on Ganguly’s immediate agenda.

As the first Indian Test cricketer to become the BCCI president, there are big expectations from Sourav Ganguly.

(Photo: The Quint)

There is a sense of expectation and excitement around the elevation of Sourav Ganguly as the new BCCI president.

He comes at a time when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been defanged and a new Board is set to emerge in the coming months.

It is a significant development in BCCI’s history, because we have never had a former Test captain as the president. The closest an India Test captain has come to being in the top echelons of the board was when Ghulam Ahmed was secretary from 1975-1980.

In fact, barring the presence of Polly Umrigar as Executive Secretary, BCCI has never had former cricketers in pole position.

So this in itself is a unique development in Indian cricket. It is a significant departure from the past.

But it remains to be seen how effective this stint of Ganguly will be. There is a sense of hope that his presence as BCCI president will change the face of Indian cricket. But if you go by what Ganguly said on the first day of his future role, it seems like it will be more of the same.

The focus on first-class cricket and honest toilers in that thankless format is laudable. But we are continuing to get mixed signals about the administration.

First things first, Ganguly should lay out a time frame and strategy for the next five years for BCCI to achieve. We have never had a vision document of the BCCI, except when the Union government pushed them to come up with one at the height of the match-fixing scandal in 2000.

But if we were to look at what needs immediate attention then these are the immediate areas that he should focus on:

Appoint a Director of Cricket

Ganguly is not a big fan of paid professionals, much like most of the old guard. But it is high time India has a Director of Cricket overseeing the progress of all the India teams.

This Director of Cricket can be the link between the teams and the BCCI. There is no other suitable candidate for this role than Ganguly’s long-time deputy Rahul Dravid.

This Director of Cricket should be the boss who is responsible for tracking progress of squads, coaches and the support staff. It is a role that Andrew Strauss did brilliantly in England and the World Cup title in 2019 is a tribute to the planning done by him. India does not need committees of unpaid former cricketers. Instead empower one individual and make him accountable.

Invest in Infrastructure

With India scheduled to host the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 Cricket World Cup, there is a need for India to tone up its entire infrastructure. The only Association thus far to think that far ahead has been Gujarat where they are building the world’s biggest stadium.

The others have been hamstrung by not adhering to the Lodha reforms and have not had the vision to think that far ahead. There is simply a lack of qualified professionals in state associations to come up with visions and plans for the future. Hence we see no movement forward on this crucial aspect of Indian cricket.

Over the years infrastructure has meant a grand exterior and floodlights. Spectator comfort and a plan to have easy pathway for all has never been discussed.

Invest in a Strong Senior Management Team

The key to a successful BCCI is not in the heads that have emerged in the BCCI polls, but instead in a strong backroom team.

This squad which is the Indian team off the field is key to cricket remaining strong. It is therefore important to pay people and lure the best talent available even amongst cricketers. The day talents are paid well and are required to do just one role that will be the end of conflict of interest. It is as simple as that. Pay well, employ the best and you have no conflict of interest.

Focus on Development

There is not a single centrally development programme in India. All plans are managed by the states themselves.

As a result there are lots of slips between the cup and the lips. It is therefore important for BCCI to have a central development programme because it will give direction to the entire process.

Almost all the major cricket playing countries viz England and Australia have a programme where they train children right from the early years. This helps in fast tracking talent or even honing them further. Sadly, this has never been a focus area in Indian cricket.

Develop a High Performance Centre

Over the years, Indian cricket has used the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru as a glorified nets session like any other in the country. It so happens that when the world moves away from one thing, India is still continues to be stuck in that same rut.

So while the world has moved away from NCA-type centres to a High Performance Centre, India is still dithering. India needs to quickly embrace the culture and quickly come up with a High Performance Centre, which is truly world class and is used as a research wing, develops talent and is a nursery for budding players.

Instead over the years we have had only meetings, talks and nothing else about buying, selling or acquiring land in Bengaluru. The sooner they do it the better.

Build a World-Class Museum

It is a shame that India with its money muscle and cricket legacy still does not have a world-class museum. For close to 15 years we have been talking about the development of a world class museum at the BCCI HQ, but there is still no sign of it. Meetings, committees have done nothing except deciding the dates of the next meeting.

Time is flying by and a generation is missing out on knowing about what Indian cricket has achieved on the field. This is the only way to develop the next generation of cricketers by exposing them to the exploits of the past.

(Chandresh Narayanan is a former cricket writer with The Times of India, The Indian Express, ex-Media Officer for ICC and the Delhi Daredevils. He is also the author of World Cup Heroes, Cricket Editorial consultant, professor and cricket TV commentator.)