Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman demand remuneration for their services

The Committee of Administrators (CAC) with the Big Three, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman at the helm, have asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a suitable wage in exchange for their services. The CAC, whose present job is to select the next coach for Team India do not want their services to be honorary.

Sachin, Sourav and Laxman have expressed their displeasure to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in their first meeting after the India-Sri Lanka match, that their services cannot be taken as freebies. Rahul has assured them that he will take up the matter with the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and find a solution to it.

But sources close to the BCCI opined that since CAC is a sub-committee of the Board, it should not be remunerated. Their demand was also turned down earlier by the Board. “This happens to be a BCCI sub-committee, plus one of them happens to be a BCCI member. Since members of various BCCI committees don’t get paid, CAC can’t be an exception. There was this demand earlier too, but BCCI turned it down,” said a BCCI office-bearer according to Indian Express.

The CAC was the brainchild of late BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya. Selecting Sachin, Sourav and Laxman as the members, Dalmiya wanted to take their opinions in major cricketing decisions. Having a wealth of experience, the three greats can contribute immensely to the game.

When the CAC was formed, they sent a request of remuneration to the BCCI in 2015 but the Board didn’t oblige. “Even at that point we had sent them a ‘scope of work’ document. They sent it back to us but we expressed our helplessness. The ‘scope of work’ documents had the terms of reference but no monetary commitment,” a BCCI official said.

It was learnt later that the then BCCI President had cancelled the request. He had said members should only be provided basic facilities and no pay as mentioned in the CAC terms and conditions. “According to him, the BCCI does not traditionally pay its committee members. The members are provided accommodation, daily allowance and a car on days of meetings. This is what is extended to CAC,” quoted a BCCI official.

Dalmiya’s vision

Dalmiya had formed the committee with a noble objective. He wanted the CAC to work closely with the members of the cricket team and provide valuable inputs which will be useful in the long run. The CAC will act as pillars of Indian cricket and will take it to greater heights.

“I am happy to note that our eminent cricketers have come forward to lend their experience and insights as we work towards a common goal of taking cricket to greater heights. The coming generations are bound to benefit from the guidance that will be provided by the luminaries and will go a long way in strengthening our system,” Dalmiya had said.