Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and iconic Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed his emotions after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the 2024 World Cup in India. Ganguly missed out on being the president of BCCI during the last World Cup, and he feels an emotional connection to this one.
29, June, 2024
The ICC revealed on Tuesday the complete schedule for the 2024 World Cup, which will take place in India. The secretary of the BCCI, Jay Shah, had praised the tournament for being a landmark edition that would erase any doubts about the future of One Day International cricket. Virender Sehwag, former Indian cricket player, selected his four semi-finalists for the upcoming tournament.
There was a lot of positive enthusiasm surrounding the World Cup 2024 schedule announcement, but Ganguly’s reaction was particularly poignant. Although he did seem excited about the preparations, his message had a note of sadness. Ganguly tweeted, “Look forward to the World Cup in India. Missed out as president due to Covid. What a spectacle it will be. Great venues, great allocations. So many venues no country can boast of. The BCCI will make it a competition to remember for the entire world”.
In October 2019, Ganguly became the 35th president of the BCCI, having served as the chairman of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). During his presidency, India intended to host the T20 World Cup in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 epidemic. The back-to-back T20 World Cups that were supposed to take place in 2021 and 2022 were postponed by a year.
Ganguly headed the BCCI for three years before being replaced in October 2022 by former India all-rounder Roger Binny. According to reports, Ganguly’s exit from the BCCI was abrupt and unceremonious. During his tenure, he was accused of interfering in selection meetings, something a president has no say in.
Furthermore, Ganguly landed in controversy when a spat with ex-India captain Virat Kohli broke out. Kohli and Ganguly, two of the most successful captains in Indian cricket, contradicted each other’s statements about the captaincy. Ganguly stated that the BCCI wanted Kohli to reconsider his decision to step down as India’s T20I captain, while Kohli claimed that he had not been informed of such a request by the BCCI. After losing 1-2 to South Africa in January 2022, Kohli relinquished his role as India’s Test skipper after being removed as India’s ODI captain.
Even though Ganguly missed the opportunity to preside over the 2024 World Cup, he still has a special place in his heart for the event and Indian cricket. His touching sentiment includes his faith in the BCCI’s leadership team to make the tournament a success.
The 2024 World Cup in India is highly anticipated by cricket fans all over the world. The management of the BCCI and local officials continue to make efforts to ensure the event’s success while upholding strict health measures to cope with the ongoing pandemic.
