Ramachandra Guha criticises BCCI officials for conflict of interest

By Dilip -

Historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha is a man who minces no words. And so, when the 62-year-old historian, in his memoir 'Commonwealth of Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind', points to what's ailing the game today in India, you know that he is talking about the men in power. Frustrated with the way cricket was being run in India, even at the behest of the Supreme Court of India, Ramachandra Guha had resigned from the Committee of Administrators.

The COA was appointed to run the BCCI after its top officials, including two presidents, were removed for either their links with corruption or failing to adopt the Justice RM Lodha Commission reforms that were aimed at transparency and better governance. Even after the Supreme Committee-appointed COA handed charge to an elected body in October last year, Guha sees cricket being run by 'greedy' officials and men with connections with political heavyweights.

Guha targets Sourav Ganguly. The former captain was elected BCCI president after a dramatic turn of events engineered by senior BJP leaders. Ganguly, whose tenure as BCCI chief was over in July as per the new constitution,  remains in the headlines due to his involvement with online gaming (fantasy cricket), a subject that is increasingly becoming controversial due to a spate of suicides due to online betting. "Look at (Sourav) Ganguly today - head of the Board and representing some cricket fantasy game. This kind of greed for money among Indian cricketers is shocking.

"The most telling story in my book is about Bishan Singh Bedi saying that he is happy to go to Kabul (to coach Afghan cricketers) - anywhere for cricket and not anywhere for money," Guha said in an interview to Midday. Ganguly and India's captain Virat Kohli are already feeling the heat for promoting online gaming portals and were recently banned by Madras High Court....

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-ramachandra-guha-calls-bcci-boss-sourav-ganguly-greedy-unethical-for-promoting-fantasy-cricket/365068

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