New Delhi: As a record-breaking Test opener and captain of India, Sunil Gavaskar was renowned for his stout defence on even the stickiest of wickets. Now he will have to display the same qualities of defiance and immaculate foot-work as he steps to the crease for India’s troubled cricket board.
“I am deeply humbled and honoured that the Honourable Supreme Court of India has entrusted me with the job of being the Interim President of the BCCI till the end of IPL 7. Like with my cricket, I will give it my best shot,” Gavaskar said after the Supreme Court gave an interim order appointing him as interim president of the BCCI.
As the first batsman to score 10,000 in Test matches, Gavaskar’s ability as a cricketer was never in doubt. And after retirement, he has also impressed as a television commentator and an often strident newspaper pundit. But the 64-year-old is an effective novice when it comes to sports administration and will have to learn fast after the country’s top court confirmed his installation on Friday at the top of the BCCI.
His main task will be to oversee this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the glitzy Twenty20 tournament which has been mired in corruption allegations.
Gavaskar is taking over from N Srinivasan, whose son-in-law stands accused of betting on his own team, while a former Indian Test bowler has been banned for life for agreeing to bowl badly in last year’s tournament in exchange for thousands of dollars from bookmakers.
