Can't remain administrator forever: Sourav Ganguly
Kolkata, Oct 13: Amid the chatter around his imminent departure from the BCCI, board president Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said he "can't be an administrator forever".
The former India captain is set to be replaced as board president by 1983 World Cup winning-team member Roger Binny in the apex body's upcoming AGM (Annual general Meeting).
"You can't play forever. You can't be an administrator forever, but it's been fun doing both and seeing both sides of the coin. I will go for bigger things in future," Ganguly said on the sidelines of an event related to Bandhan bank.
"I was a cricketer's administrator. Yes you had to make decisions because there's so much cricket happening, there's so much money around. There's women's cricket, there's domestic cricket. Yes you had to take calls at times as an individual," he added.
Ganguly was keen to continue as the BCCI chief, but things did not pan out that way, even as Jay Shah is set to continue as the secretary.
Ganguly first got into cricket administration as a secretary under Jagmohan Dalmiya at the Cricket Association of bengal (CAB), before heading the state body after the veteran's death in September 2015.
Speaking of achieving success, the former skipper cited the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Life, achievements and progresses are about small goals, you don't become a Sachin Tendulkar, or an Ambani or Narendra Modi in one day.
"You have to spend your life, time, days, weeks, months working towards it. that's the key to success. If you decide that this is my job, this is my life, give everything you have for the rest of your life to be the best."
Ganguly also spoke about the high points of his tenure as BCCI president.
"I think I thoroughly loved it. If you see the last three years, so many good things have happened. IPL during COVID, such difficult times for all of us in the country. We didn't know how to deal with it. The broadcast rights which went to an all time high.
"The Under-19 winning the World Cup. I wish the women won the Commonwealth Games gold, they were in a position to beat Australia. Senior team winning in Australia. Those were great moments as an administrator. But they returned with a silver which was still first.
"I hope they do well in Australia because it's a tremendous cricket team. There's so much talent, so much power, class in the side," he said, wishing Team India luck for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"You expect them to win all the time. But the challenge of being a player was completely different. So you can't compare both."
Ganguly said the challenges as a cricketer were more than being an administrator.
"I did eight years' of administration. I was president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, then became president of the BCCI, all these have tenures and you have to go after finishing it.
"But I feel the challenge as a cricketer was a lot more. When you do backroom work, sitting on tables and running the game, you have time to correct things.
"But if you nicked a delivery from Glenn McGrath on the first morning of a Test, you are out, you didn't have the time to correct it -- I think that's the major difference.
"But when you do administration you realise that you contribute so much, you could make things better for a cricketer and me being a player who played for a long period of time, I understood that," he signed off.
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Sexual abuse case: Group of writers, academics write to CM Siddaramaiah demanding action
Bengaluru, May 15: A group of litterateurs and academics of Karnataka have written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding the immediate arrest of Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing several women but has gone abroad, "absconding" from the law.
The state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Additional Director General of Police B K Singh to probe multiple instances of sexual abuse and related cases involving Prajwal Revanna, and the Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against the Hassan MP, who reportedly left the country on April 27.
Prajwal is the son of MLA and former Minister H D Revanna, who too has been accused in a case of molestation and another case of abduction, and grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
ALSO READ: Sexual abuse case: SIT conducts raids in multiple locations in Karnataka's Hassan
Condemning the alleged sexual abuse of women by Prajwal, as many as 107 intellectuals comprising litterateurs, academics, playwrights, singers and social activists have written to Siddaramaiah demanding his immediate arrest.
In their letter, they said the incident shows the feudal mindset of a powerful family, whose members hold key positions in Parliament, the legislative assembly, the legislative council, panchayats and municipal bodies.
They said it is a big crime that the victims of sexual exploitation were allegedly threatened and kidnapped in order to "cover up a crime which has been happening for many years."
The group highlighted the threat to the lives of the victims and the trauma their families are going through after the scandal broke out.
They said that some women after suffering ignominy attempted suicide while many stigmatised families migrated from Hassan.
The group said a fearless atmosphere should be created for victims to come forward and lodge complaints. They also sought a brake on trading of charges by political parties, and the completion of the SIT probe within a time-frame.
Reacting to the letter, state Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said the government would take it seriously.
“We will take their letter seriously because they are the ones who have concern for the society. They take note of the issues around them,” he said.
