JOIN USBCCI not looking for escape routes, says Thakur
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur insisted they were not looking for an “escape route” regarding the Lodha Committee report but said they would like to follow the due process of deliberating on the recommendations before adopting them.
"The BCCI is not looking for an escape route. We believe in accountability and transparency. We have done many things in the last nine months that have been applauded and have shown we are in the right direction. The Lodha committee has recommended many things but every member has the right to look into the recommendations," Anurag Thakur told reporters on Friday.
Thakur said, the BCCI legal team has met and would again be meeting on February 7 to deliberate on the Lodha Committee recommendations. A Special General Meeting of state associations would also be summoned in the third week of February for expressing their views on the matter which would then be submitted to the board.
Thakur, however, said the good work done by the BCCI in the past years should also been taken into account. "In 1983, when India won the World Cup, we did not have money to pay to our champion team. It is no longer the case today. It is not that everything that has happened in the last 30-40 years in the BCCI has been wrong," Thakur said.
He also dismissed the understanding that the Board had been slow in responding to Lodha panel’s recommendations. "You need to understand that the Lodha Panel recommendation is not a one page report. It is a detailed report which will have a lot of consequences on the functioning of the board. The Committee (Lodha) has taken close to 12 months, we are taking just two months to deliberate and discuss. Many states are yet to have their association's SGM for giving their viewpoints. We are just following the due process.”
Asked if they were paying the price of mistakes of the earlier regime of former president N Srinivasan, Thakur said: "Undoubtedly, there has been a loss of face and credibility. The lack of decision-making during that time has also hurt the image of the board. But in the last nine months, we have worked towards building a new image of the board and inspiring trust. We have worked towards making the most popular sport of the country even more popular besides ensuring our team is the best in the world. It is obvious who has worked in improving the affairs of the Indian cricket.”