Cricket news round-up October 14: India win Pune Test, Ganguly to become BCCI president

India won the second Test of the 3-match series against South Africa. Sourav Ganguly is set to become BCCI president unopposed. Anshuman Gaekwad will be representing ICA at BCCI’s apex council.

India seal Test series 2-0

Indians began Day 4 with 326 lead from the first innings. It came as a surprise to a few when Virat Kohli asked South Africa to follow on. Then it was just a matter of time as Indian bowlers ran through the South African line-up quite quickly.

Dean Elgar tried his bit by scoring 48 off 72 deliveries and then Temba Bavuma put up a fight with 38 off 63. Apart from this two none of the tor order batsmen could show some resistance. The first innings heroes, Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj once again contributed. They added 56 runs for the 8th wicket but thanks to Umesh Yadav, it did not last for long. Once Philander was dismissed, the rest of the two wickets were soon gone in a space of four runs.

The ruthless Indian bowling attack once again delivered a dealy show. Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets apiece whereas Ravichandran Ashwin took two major wickets of Elgar and Faf du Plessis. India eventually won the Test by an innings and 137 runs.

With this win, India added a new record of winning 11th successive series win at home. They went past Australia’s previous best of 10 wins which they recorded twice with the streaks coming to an end in 2000 and 2008 respectively. No other Test-playing nation has more than eight wins. They also sealed the ongoing 3-match series against South Africa 2-0.

Ganguly to become BCCI president

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is set to be the new BCCI president. Ganguly is the nominee from the Cricket Association of Bengal for the upcoming BCCI AGM who will file his nomination on October 14, the deadline for that stage of the BCCI electoral process. According to the reports, Ganguly is likely to be the lone candidate for the post and so get elected unopposed.

On the other hand, Jay Shah, Gujarat Cricket Association joint-secretary is also set to become the new BCCI secretary from a similar position. Brijesh Patel, another former Indian cricketer, and experienced administrator is expected to become the new IPL chairman. Arun Singh Dhumal, brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, is set to become the treasurer, and Kerala Cricket Association president Jayesh George is in the race for the joint secretary’s position.

After serving their respective posts for around 10 months Ganguly and Shah will be going into the mandatory cooling-off period of three years. It is a must for an office-bearer or an administrator to serve the cooling-off period after having served six consecutive years in any position at the national or state levels., which is part of the new BCCI constitution formed on the basis of the RM Lodha Committee recommendations.

The call to take Ganguly and Shah in the two most important positions in the Indian board was taken at an unofficial meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, attended by some of the key men in Indian cricket. Ganguly, Shah, and Patel were all present at the meeting. The decision was taken unanimously by all the associations and as a result, these candidates are expected to contest the elections unopposed.

The last day set by the BCCI’s electoral officer to receive names for the five office-bearers’ posts is October 14. The elections are scheduled for October 23.

Gaekwad elected ICA male representative to BCCI

 Former India opener and coach Anshuman Gaekwad will be a part of the BCCI’s nine-member apex council and that will be finalised during the board elections. The Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA), formed in July this year, had to elect two representatives – one male and one female – at the time of its elections from October 11 to October 13. These members will be part of the apex council, according to the new BCCI constitution.

On Sunday Gaekwad won the first ever elections with 471 votes against Kirti Azad (381 votes) and Rakesh Dhruv (223). Former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy became the female ICA representative by being the only nominee for the post.

The ICA also picked a representative for the IPL’s seven-member governing council. Surinder Khanna, former Indian wicketkeeper is set to take the post as the only nominee. This is the first time former players will be part of the BCCI general body in such capacity. Ashok Malhotra, another former India batsman, is another huge name to take over the charge as the ICA president, by being the only nominee for the position.