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Wish Ganguly gets more than 10 months in charge: Gambhir

In his column, he also highlights Ganguly's good work as President of Cricket Association of Bengal and the changes he has brought. 

Sourav Ganguly will take over as BCCI President. (AFP Image)

Gautam Gambhir has expressed happiness over the appointment of Sourav Ganguly as the president of the BCCI and wants to see the former India captain get an extension beyond 10 months. As the cooling-off period kicks off in September, Ganguly has 10 months of being in charge of the board but Gambhir feels his tenure should continue beyond August next year, else it’ll be a “wasted exercise”.

“Indian cricket has been scoring winners across the board. For starters, former India captain Sourav Ganguly being announced as the next BCCI president is a big leap taken by Indian cricket. Normally, BCCI functioning is seen as regressive and opaque but this unprecedented move to have a former cricketer in this important post is a pleasant aberration,” Gambhir wrote in his column for Times of India.

“I don’t know how it happened and I am not keen on knowing it either. I am just glad that Indian cricket will be headed by someone who understands the eco-system. The changes he has brought about at Cricket Association of Bengal is a clear indication that Dada is not merely a former cricketer who’d bring on-field changes. His administrative skills will be tested but if I know Dada well, his ability of inclusive growth will hold him in good stead. But I just hope that Dada gets more than 10 months to perform otherwise it will be a wasted exercise.”

Gambhir added that Ganguly would benefit from people within the board, while pointing out how without the help of former BCCI President, the late Jagmohan Dalmiya, things would be challenging for the 47-year-old.

“I’d also hope that he gets support from those who are taking turns to congratulate Dada. As a cricketer, he could achieve results because he had support from within the dressing room and also from BCCI board room,” Gambhir said.

“Things would have been challenging for Dada without the support of the late Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya. While he and then coach John Wright groomed guys like Sehwag, Nehra, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer, Dada was also lucky to have all-out support from Dravid, Kumble, Tendulkar and Laxman. He’d need similar support now again from the BCCI bigwigs who know where the landmines are.”

Beyond the BCCI, Gambhir was pleased with Brian Lara’s comments about India’s fast bowling contingent. The former captain said how watching the current Indian attack reminds him of the golden era of the West Indies, comparing it to once-mighty bowling attack the two-time World Champions possessed in the 1980s and 1990s.

“I was glad to read the comments made by legendary Brian Lara on the Indian team. I agree that world over, standard of cricket has taken a hit but that is not Virat Kohli’s problem,” Gambhir said. “If Lara today says that our bowling unit reminds him of West Indian pace battery then a lot of credit should go to the current captain and his support staff. Fast bowling and Indian cricket were largely an alien concept but remember we won this Test series without Jasprit Bumrah.”

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