Mumbai: Former cricketer and World Cup winning hero Roger Binny on Tuesday officially took over the reins from Sourav Ganguly to become the next BCCI President. Sources said no discussion on Sourav Ganguly's nomination for ICC cropped up even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee batted for the former Indian skipper yesterday, saying the former BCCI chief should be compensated by nominating him for ICC's chief position.
It added that BCCI might be backing a second term for New Zealand's Greg Barclay in the ICC whereas Jay Shah will represent Indian cricket at ICC Board meetings. Ganguly's discontinuation as BCCI head has had political ramifications in West Bengal with the ruling TMC, Congress and CPI (M) alleging that the former skipper was removed as he didn't join the BJP.
The West Bengal CM too minced no words yesterday and commended Ganguly for the good work during his tenure in the administration while questioning Union Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's continuation in the board as BCCI secretary.
The 91st Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was held in Mumbai. Notably, Binny was the only candidate to have filed a nomination for the top post. Sourav Ganguly ended his BCCI President's stint after three long years. Jay Shah will continue to serve as the BCCI Secretary. Ashish Shelar has been appointed as BCCI Treasurer. Rajeev Shukla will be the vice president, whereas Devajit Saikia will be the joint secretary.
Arun Dhumal has been appointed as the Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman.
Binny has represented India in 27 test matches and 72 ODIs. The right-arm pacer bagged 47 wickets in tests while also picking 77 in ODIs. He was a crucial contributor to India's first-ever World Cup victory being the highest wicket-taker for India in the 1983 World Cup with 18 wickets.
Member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Binny was a strong contender to succeed Ganguly after the former India captain's exit was confirmed. Binny has previously served as a member of the BCCI selection committee.
