By Shivaji Dasgupta
As Roger Michael Humphrey Binny becomes the 36th president of the BCCI, there are a whole host of murmurs in the corridors of intrigue. His inarguable credentials as a performing professional seem to collide with rumours of a politically inspired appointment.
For millennials not in the know, he certainly was no pushover in his time as a prolific allrounder. With 27 test matches and 72 ODIs under his belt, Binny was a key man during India’s famous 1983 World Cup triumph, winning the Man of the Match award in the decimation of Australia at Chelmsford. The numbers may seem meagre by current standards but were certainly significant in the 1980s and his capabilities as a seam bowler considerably responsible for notable overseas wins, especially the 2-0 routing of England in 1986. At Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Ganguly’s home turf, he could exploit the late afternoon Gangetic winds masterfully, tormenting many a well-equipped adversary. A skillful batsman, he had his unique take on the short arm pull, at a time when not too many Indians were aggressive against the rising delivery.
You may well argue that the above data points pale in comparison to the credentials of say a Ganguly or Dravid, stalwarts of the modern game and curators of India’s current stature. But then, a provocative counter logic may well be that on-field acumen may have limited relevance to administrative juices, and the twain usually struggles to meet. Else Kapil Dev, Sunny Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar would have been taking turns at the big job, promoted directly from retirement day, quite like James Bond switching assignments effortlessly. Jagmohan Dalmiya, N Srinivasan and NKP Salve are fine illustrations of career administrators who turned out to be successful presidents and their playing records did not qualify for Wisden, most certainly.
In fact, no other significantly successful cricketer has ever held the post, so there is no specific causation between batting averages and administrative brownie points. To the contrary, it is established that a certain optimality in playing careers is a finer foundation for second innings roles, whether as coaches or in managerial functions. Equally, to bust another populist narrative, the post independence presidency tenures (after Anthony De Mello) have invariably been single term, so nominating a fresh candidate is actually a defensible precedent.
Based on factual and intuitive evidence, Binny is expected to play a fine role, articulate and capable, and political alignment theories are quite irrelevant for there would be many candidates with such qualifications. He will surely have his hands full in managing the problem of plenty, the mammoth top-class talent pool that is truthfully a gift of the IPL and the board’s coffers. Especially the perils of constant injuries and the Houdini-like balancing act of multiple awesome outfits in tandem, rather a culture shock for Indian Cricket which has often struggled to front 11 world class players in global tourneys. Although blessed with a strong finance team, optimising revenues from the Golden Goose would surely be a valuable KRA, requiring visionary business leadership.
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To further accentuate his net practice for the big job, Binny has already been a national selector from 2012-2015 and appointed the KSCA President in 2019. Besides, he successfully coached the India Under 19 side to a World Cup triumph in 2000, led by Mohammed Kaif with Yuvraj Singh being man of the tournament. At the ably young age of 67, he thus takes pole position in Indian Cricket administration with a wide diversity of experience, spanning both the 22 Yards and the board rooms, surely satisfying modern CXO appointment criteria.
Days after submitting his nomination papers, Binny told the Indian Express that “The BCCI gave me the opportunity, I took it because cricket administration is up my alley. I don’t have any hassles, I am an easy going person. If I like something and I think it needs to be done I will do it. But I stay away from controversy and things where there is trouble. I don’t like people who create controversies.”
As a swing bowler, Binny was a maestro at taking advantage of favourable conditions and this appointment would surely qualify as one such.