BCCI president Roger Binny: No need for contracts in domestic cricket at the moment

BCCI president Roger Binny: “I think domestic players…Ranji players are looked after pretty well”.

BCCI president Roger Binny was unlikely to go into every single burning issue in Indian cricket during his first press interaction. His answers in Bengaluru on Thursday gave you a peek into what the general sentiment in the BCCI regarding domestic cricket – and player contracts specifically – is.

Binny said in response to whether central contracts for domestic players were on his bucket list of things to accomplish while BCCI president.

Ganguly, Binny was clear that wasn’t going to be a priority, especially since the board had introduced pay hikes for them last year.

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Needed to lift the standard of the Ranji Trophy

“They’re taken care of well, they have good facilities, they stay in good places. There’s no need for that at the moment. What’s needed is to lift the standard of the Ranji Trophy,” Binny said. “It’s the premier tournament. Along with Ranji, you have the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup. How many people knew Irani Cup happened a month back? How many watched it? We have a culture; cricket fans need to support that. We need to change that.”

The former India all-rounder touched on another important subject

Having just returned from his unveiling as BCCI president in Mumbai, Binny was the talk of the town at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, his “home turf”. And as he regaled his colleagues, friends, and former teammates at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The former India all-rounder touched on another important subject – selection.

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“That is best left to the selectors, I won’t interfere,” he said

“That is best left to the selectors, I won’t interfere,” he said. “We’ve picked them to do a job, we will let them do it”. He wanted to be clear that people with certain responsibilities will be allowed to carry out their duties. Like the medical staff at the NCA, who he felt needed to do better.

We need to address why and how players are breaking down so easily

“You can’t have a [Jasprit] Bumrah breaking down 10 days before a World Cup,” Binny said. “We need to address why and how players are breaking down so easily, not just now but over the last four-five years. It’s not that we don’t have good trainers or coaches. Whether the load is too much, or whether they’re playing too many formats, something needs to be done. That is my priority…not just mine, the entire board’s.”

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I’d never imagined one-day becoming BCCI president

Binny identified every team-mate of his, irrespective of which level it was at, from the gathering, before saying, “I’d never imagined to one day become BCCI president. It’s a great honor, I can’t tell you how happy my family and I are today with this new responsibility. I will do my best.”

Shah had said that India would not travel to Pakistan for next year’s Asia Cup. That prompted a response from the sports minister Anurag Thakur. And another from Binny as well.

We can’t make decisions on our own

“That is not the BCCI’s call,” Binny said. “We need the government’s clearance to leave the country. Whether we leave the country or teams are coming into the country, we need clearance. Once we get that from the government, we go with it. We can’t make decisions on our own. We have to rely on the government, we haven’t approached them yet.”