Sourav Ganguly’s incredible journey: From being a 'controversial' selection to BCCI President
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is all set to take over as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from October 23rd. While Ganguly will be the President, Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, will be the new BCCI Secretary and Anurag Thakur’s brother Arun Dhumal will be the board's new Treasurer.
Speaking to the media after filing his nomination on Monday, Ganguly said that one of his major aims would be to put Indian cricket back on track.
"Hopefully in the next few months, we can put everything in place and bring back normalcy in Indian cricket.”
Ganguly also added that he never aspired to be the BCCI President but has taken up the challenge as the opportunity came to him.
"I had never expressed my aspirations for this post. I never spoke to anyone.”
The President of the Cricket Association of Bengal is no stranger to challenges. In 2000, he took over the reins as captain of the Indian cricket team after Sachin Tendulkar stepped aside and transformed a young side into potential world beaters.
In this feature, we look back at Ganguly’s journey from being a controversial pick on his international debut to becoming the chief of the world’s richest cricketing body.
Inauspicious debut
Much before he became the Prince of Indian cricket, Ganguly had a horror initiation into international cricket. He was chosen for India’s tour of Australia in 1991-92, which in itself turned out to be a disastrous outing for the entire Indian team.
Ganguly made his ODI debut in the match against West Indies at Brisbane, on January 11 1992. Ganguly struggled, making only three runs from 13 balls and was trapped lbw by Anderson Cummins before losing his place in the squad.
More than his one failure though, it was his attitude that came into focus. There were allegations that he was rich, spoilt and not a team player. He was even said to have refused to carry drinks on to the field for a senior player, a claim Ganguly has denied.
In his biography ‘A Century Is Not Good Enough’, Ganguly maintains that it was he who was actually mistreated on his first tour. According to him, a legendary player from that squad told him that he didn’t deserve to be on that tour. Ganguly further stated that Sanjay Manjrekar asked him to behave properly and improve his attitude, something the former India skipper found inexplicable.
Also see – World Test Championship points table