Kolkata: Jagmohan Dalmiya, re-elected unopposed as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal for yet another term, on Sunday hoped to again "team up" with newly-elected joint secretary Sourav Ganguly.
"I think it's a very good development as when I was the BCCI president, he was the captain (of Indian cricket team). As a team we've worked very well. I feel this team will work again," Dalmiya told reporters after being re-elected president in its 83rd annual general meeting here.
At the time of AGM when Ganguly was being elected joint-secretary in absentia succeeding Sujan Mukherjee, the cricketer-turned-commentator was seen handing over the first Test cap to debutant medium pacer Pankaj Singh in Southampton, England.
To many insiders it was 'unprecedented' in CAB's history that a joint-secretary was not part of the annual meeting but Dalmiya said the retired left-handed batsman would do justice to his new role as cricket administrator.
"He has told us that he would be able to devote time (to CAB). Be it cricket captaincy or work related to administration he has done exceedingly well in the past, we're hopeful he would manage well," Dalmiya said.
Ganguly succeeded Mukherjee, whose four-year term got over this month and his club Barisha Sporting was represented by his maternal uncle and club president Arup Chatterjee.
As many as eight politicians, including the veteran Subrata Mukherjee from (Ballygunge United) the ruling Trinamool Congress, attended the AGM that was otherwise a drab affair lasting less than half an hour.
In the past, Bishan Singh Bedi (DDCA), Dilip Vengsarkar (Mumbai CA) and Anil Kumble (KSCA) had donned the administrator's hat with little success, and it remains to be seen how Ganguly would manage time as he had also forayed into football, co-owning the Kolkata franchise of the upcoming Indian Super League.
Having held some key positions in various sub-committees like cricket development, this would be a full-time entry for the 42-year-old former skipper, who called it quits from international cricket in November 2008.
Asked what will happen to the Ganguly-chaired cricket development committee, Dalmiya said: "The committee has to be reformed now." Ganguly is expected to take charge on August 1, after the completion of third Test. The politicians from the ruling party at the AGM also included MP Subrata Bakshi (Bhowanipore), Arup Biswas (Tollygunge Agragami), Jyotipriya Mullick (Calcutta University), Arup Roy (Howrah DSA), Srinjoy Bose (Mohun Bagan), among others.
Asked whether it was too much of an "intereference" from the ruling party, Dalmiya said, "This is a democratic country and we have to respect everybody. This question is uncalled for and I've no comments." Besides Ganguly, there was another cricketer in Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who also stepped into administration representing Howrah Saikia Friends at the working committee. Hailing Ganguly's foray into cricket administration, Shukla said:
"It's really a very good move. Dada's entry into CAB as a joint-secretary will give Indian cricket a new voice." On his behalf, the former India all-rounder said: "I've seen the life on the field. Now it's time to embrace little bit of administration off it. I've a lot to learn."
Echoing the same sentiments, TMC minisiter Arup Biswas said: "Ganguly's inclusion in the CAB will immensely benefit Bengal cricket. We've seen a slide in our Ranji performance which I hope will be a thing of the past. Hope Bengal will re-emerge as a powerhouse of Indian cricket with more and more players representing India from our state."
As for Dalmiya, 74, it was just yet another term at the CAB where he has held the chair since 1993 except for a 19-month hiatus after he was unseated in December, 2006 following his expulsion from the BCCI on embezzlement charges during World Cup 1996. The former ICC president, however, made a resounding comeback, thrashing Prasun Mukherjee in the 2008 elections.
Among other changes in the previous panel, there are three new vice-presidents in Samar Paul, Sudip Biswas, Amiya Kumar Auddy in place of the outgoing trio of Alok Nandy, Sambhunath Poddar and Subhas Kundu. Sibaji Dutta was inducted into the board of trustees. The AGM saw participation from 120 affiliated units out of 121 as Bankura DSA was denied entry on legal grounds.
The panel:
President: Jagmohan Dalmiya; Vice-presidents: Sankar Nath Bagchi, Smar Paul, Amiya Kumar Auddy and Sudip Biswas; Joint Secretaries: Subir Ganguly and Sourav Ganguly; Treasurer: Biswarup Dey.
