SPORTS DESK
NEW DELHI: Indian Supreme Court proposed Sunil Gavaskar’s name as replacement for N Srinivasan as Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President and the batting legend said he will be “honoured” and “happy” to adhere to the directives of the highest court of the land.
“First and foremost, if the highest court suggests something, you have to do so but that has to be on record. I am currently contracted with BCCI as a commentator. But if Supreme Court wants me to do that, I will do it,” Gavaskar said.
“When the Supreme Court asks you, there is no question about it, there is not much you can do and I will be happy to do what they ask me to do”, he told a news channel.
Gavaskar, a former Indian captain, said he would wait for the final order from the court.
“I will consider it, it will be a huge honour that Supreme Court feels I will be good enough to do the job. But we will have to wait and watch until tomorrow in which direction it goes. Let’s not jump the gun,” the former Indian captain said.
Asked if he is prepared for the challenge, Gavaskar said, “As an opening batsman, you have to be prepared for all kinds of challenges, you have to play in all kinds of pitches, you are always prepared for a challenge mentally and physically.
“Even today, although I am happy to be away from the limelight, I am prepared to do what is needed if the Supreme Court wants me to do so,” he added.
Sunil Gavaskar will head the BCCI in respect of its IPL functions, and a vice-president of the board will carry out other duties, the Supreme Court has said. It also said, at the hearing of the IPL corruption case on Friday, that the IPL 2014 could continue with all teams participating.
The BCCI later said that Shivlal Yadav, the board’s senior-most vice-president, will carry out the non-IPL functions.
The court’s interim order said employees of India Cements must have no role in the BCCI except as players or commentators.
It also said Gavaskar could appoint people of his confidence, and could decide on IPL COO Sundar Raman’s continuance in that role. It directed that Gavaskar should be released from his contractual obligations with the BCCI as a commentator but said he should be compensated for his new role.
“The court suggested that for probity, for the public perception of an investigation that if Mr Srinivasan was, as the managing director of Indian Cements, concerned with the team which was under investigation, for the time being during the investigations he should not discharge the functions. The BCCI considered this and felt that it was perfectly right and can be done and Mr Srinivasan himself made that offer,” BCCI counsel CA Sundaram said.
He said the BCCI was “very, very glad” that the court had not suspended the IPL or Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
“We were keen that all the teams should participate at this juncture, inasmuch as there has not yet been any kind of final decision as to whether the franchisees were responsible and if so what action should be taken. We felt that this was not the time to stop them from playing and for the effectiveness of the IPL all eight teams playing at this juncture was important,” he added.
The case will be heard next on April 16, when the court is expected to pass its final order.
The case dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised charges of conflict of interest in the formation of BCCI’s two-member inquiry panel into the IPL corruption issue.
A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.
The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, in October 2013, to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. The committee had submitted its findings to the court on February 10.
2014, BCCI, Board of Control for Cricket in India, Breaking News, Exclusive, ICC, India, Indian Supreme Court, International Cricket Council, Latest News, Pakistan Despatch, People, Rajasthan Royals, Sunil Gavaskar, Supreme Court
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