Priority will be to look after first class cricketers, says Ganguly

XtraTime Web Desk: In a tensed battle for board supremacy, former India captain Sourav Ganguly piped Brijesh Patel for the post of BCCI President on Monday. The informal meeting which went on till late midnight witnessed a see-saw battle with Brijesh Patel almost getting elected as the President. But a few phone calls between Delhi and Mumbai changed the equation drastically in favour of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President.

Ganguly himself looked surprised at his selection. Reaction to PTI, the new BCCI president-elect said, “It’s a great opportunity for him to do something good.”

The left-hander took over the reins of captaincy when Indian cricket was entangled with match-fixing controversy. In a similar scenario, the image of the board has been seriously hampered in recent times.

According to Ganguly, “I am taking over at a time when BCCI has not been in greatest of position for the last three years. Its image has got hampered quite a lot. It’s a great opportunity for me to do something good.”

The new President elect has already set his priorities in his short tenure of 9 months. His priority in the short tenure would be to look after “first-class cricketers”.

The 47-year-old plans to meet all the stakeholders in Indian cricket and wants to do something that the Committee of Administrators (CoA) didn’t do for 33 months.

“We will speak to everyone first as we take a decision but my biggest priority will be to look after first class cricketers. I had requested that to the CoA for three years and they didn”t listen. That”s the first thing I will do, look after the financial health of our first-class cricketers,”

He had a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday and when asked about whether he will have to campaign for BJP in Bengal, he answered in the negative.

“No, no nothing of that sort. Nobody told me anything,” Ganguly signed off.