Gavaskar backs Ganguly to take over interim BCCI president

Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar today backed former India captain Sourav Ganguly to take over as interim president of BCCI following the sacking of Anurag Thakur from the top post by the Supreme Court.

Thakur and Ajay Shirke were yesterday removed as Board president and secretary respectively by the top court for their failure to implement the Justice R M Lodha committee's recommendations on BCCI reforms. Following the duo's ouster, various names have cropped up to take over the reigns of the Board.

The Lodha Committee, in its initial recommendations, had stressed that former players should administer BCCI.

Asked to name a person who he thinks was suitable to take up the job of BCCI president on interim basis, Gavaskar said, "BCCI has got very good bench strength to take up the bigger rolls and one name that comes to my mind is Sourav Ganguly."

"Remember, in 1999-2000 when Indian cricket was gripped by the match fixing saga, Ganguly was given the Indian team captaincy and he turned it around," Gavaskar told NDTV.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur in an order had said that as an interim arrangement, the senior most vice president of the Board would act as the president and the present joint secretary would assume the work as secretary.