Hit-wicket or Run-out? Decoding Sourav Ganguly’s ‘Dadagiri’ as BCCI President

Drama, glory and massive failures - Sourav Ganguly, former BCCI president saw everything possible during his tenure as the chief of Indian cricket. Be it India’s rise to the top in Test cricket or Virat Kohli being stripped of captaincy, Ganguly was a part of Indian cricket’s one of the most happening chapters ever. 

Did the chapter soon turn into a conspiracy theory? After all, the former India captain is not alien to it. Even though all the other members maintained their position as the leaders of Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly found himself alone as he was not politically backed by any of the influential leaders. Something that wasn’t the case in 2019 when BJP made Ganguly the face of Indian cricket. 

As things stand, it can be said that their relationship lasted for only three years. Unfortunately, the reason he was first chosen to lead the institution is the same reason why he was thrown out of it. Seeing all the drama, Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal wasn’t shy to question BJP behind removing Sourav as the head of BCCI. She also claimed that the national party wanted to use Ganguly to win the state election in 2021 and after Sourav’s rejection, he was thrown out of the equation - something that the BJP leaders denied in the last few days.

Run-out 

Was his removal as BCCI president politically driven? Even though one can’t prove it factually but a huge section of his fans believe it to be so as former BJP chief and the current Home Minister of India, Amit Shah was spotted visiting Sourav Ganguly’s house earlier this year and thus,Sourav’s ouster is strange for many to believe.

Especially when the former India international appealed to the Supreme Court to extend his tenure as an active member of the board. Even though he was granted to do so, the former cricketer was swapped for Roger Binny. The story doesn’t end with his ouster. He was offered the role to become the next IPL chairman but the former president rejected it as he wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than the president’s post.

Following that, it was in the rumours for a while that the Prince of Calcutta will run for the ICC president’s post but to his surprise, BCCI administrators didn’t back him there too. After being snubbed, the cricket legend aims to return to his home state to lead the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Now the question arises, did it all happen because he denied to join BJP?

Well, there’s always another angle to the story. What if the maestro knew BJP’s intention and yet continued to play the game? If his departure is considered to be politically driven, wasn’t his arrival the same? It will forever remain as one of Indian cricket’s darkest secret.  

Hit-wicket

Even though everyone is aware of his Dadagiri on the field, one can’t really say the same about Ganguly, the administrator. When announced as the new president, there was a lot of hope that the former captain will bring a new revolution in Indian cricket but after three years, one can hardly name one. 

Being the BCCI chief, he promised to issue contracts to domestic cricketers to help them financially but it is something that’s still due. Women’s IPL, one of the most talked about events of the last five years is yet to begin and his role during Virat Kohli’s removal from ODI captain is still a mystery. On top of that, he was also accused of getting involved in the selection of players before a series or tournament.

It’s not all negative though. Conducting IPL during COVID-19 and increasing the pension of former cricketers are some of the good works he did as president. However, when you put it on a weighing machine, the negatives seem to dominate the positives. Thus, his impact as BCCI president is also questioned by a majority of fans who follow Indian cricket closely.

The Conclusion

Even though he was not as influential as his predecessors in the board, Ganguly deserved a better farewell. Albeit it didn’t turn out to be the case, the Maharaja of Indian cricket is currently being seen as a political victim - a state he didn’t deserve after serving Indian cricket for decades. 

After all, Ganguly was never defeated in an election process, he was sacked by some nameless and faceless officials dictating the fate of Indian cricket. Despite Lodha's attempt to clear the junk, nothing has changed in the last few years. Ultimately there are administrators and then there are dictators. Faces in the admin panel changes but dictators? They are still playing the game of chess and taking calls of when to use a Queen and when to use pawns.