25 March 2024 last updated at 19:12 GMT
 
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Time to focus on the future - and a new President
By Lalit K Modi, 27th May, 2013

The current BCCI crisis is undoubtedly a national disgrace but I believe it has actually presented Indian cricket with its biggest administrative opportunity in recent history.

The spot fixing scandal is the last straw for an administration that has lurched from one crisis to another. Its President’s position is now untenable and the appointment of one his own lieutenants in his place is completely out of the question. The BCCI has lost the confidence of the public, the sponsors and the IPL franchise owners and now is the time for wholesale change. Promotion from within would merely be moving the pieces around the board. We need to start a brand new game and everyone associated with the current administration must go immediately if Indian cricket is to regain its credibility.

Indian cricket now needs a leader that everyone can trust. It needs someone who’s appointment would create unlimited confidence and I’d like to start the ball rolling with a suggestion. 

For me, there is one man who stands out as being capable of uniting Indian cricket in the short term and establishing a legacy to serve the game honourably for many years to come. He is a man with a brilliant record as a cricket administrator and a man of unqualified dignity. He is a former President and he would restore instant belief for everyone in the game. That man is Inderjit S. Bindra.

Mr. Bindra has been associated with the board since 1975. He was President of the BCCI from 1993-1996. He has long been a senior advisor to the I.C.C. and as such commands respect across the globe. He is an administrator with experience and respect and his guidance and vision would steer Indian cricket into calmer waters. In short, he is the one man who is capable of re-uniting the sport and establishing an administration with credibility and confidence that could be left to do the job. He is exactly the type of person who that is needed right now to help rescue Indian cricket.

I.S. Bindra has recently commented on the crisis and made his position on the current President very clear. He said that Mr. Srinivasan was; ‘as arrogant as ever’ and he also demanded that Mr. Srinivasan should step down with immediate effect. That, in itself, tells you that Mr. Bindra is a man who is not afraid to speak. Then again, anyone who knows him, will be well aware of that already. Here we have an experienced administrator who will not allow himself to be pressurised into making decisions for the inner circle without regard for the greater good. Mr. Bindra would establish a new era, unencumbered by current politics and that requirement is crucial. 

It is amazing to me that the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association are reported to have been lobbying on behalf of Mr. Srinivasan and urging the office bearers of other state units to show solidarity for the current President. It tells you all you need to know about a situation in which status has been bestowed rather than earned and mutual protection is the consequence. It is precisely why Indian cricket is in such a mess in the first place and why the whole administration must be changed.

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