India’s new cricket chief Anurag Thakur "is a close ally of right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a media-friendly administrator seen as capable of cleaning up the governing body’s tarnished image," according to the AFP.
Thakur "is now charged with running the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), one of the most powerful bodies in world sport."
The three-time member of parliament on Sunday "became the youngest-ever president of the cash-rich but under-fire BCCI, at the age of 41."
Thakur is comfortable in the limelight and "could not be more different from his 58-year-old predecessor Shashank Manohar, who shunned the media and did not even own a mobile phone." Veteran sports journalist Boria Majumdar: "He is one of the more visible, forthright and efficient administrators in the game." Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praised Thakur for being "very, very available to the media" at a time when the BCCI needs someone confident to get its views across to the public (AFP, 5/22). REUTERS' Amlan Chakraborty reported Thakur's priority will be making India "the top team in all formats of the game." He said, "Currently our team is number two in tests and T20 and number four in ODIs and in women's cricket. We will take every step, whatever is possible to make India number one in all four." Since this year's World Twenty20 on home soil, the Indian team "has been without a coach." Thakur said that the board "would advertise the post and shortlist the applicants after June 10" (REUTERS, 5/22). In New Delhi, Akshay Ramesh reported Thakur "stressed on the importance of giving more attention to women's cricket in the country." At a time when there are voices raised in favor of equal pay for women and men, Thakur shed light on the Indian cricket board's policy, saying it has "raised the match fee and have brought the players under contract system." Thakur also said that he "had sought a report from the Women's Committee of the International Cricket Board to decide on what should be done to improve the quality of women's cricket." He said,
"They will play more tournaments in coming year."
The BCCI "is mulling options to make the stadiums energy efficient." Thakur: "Future stadiums will be green stadiums in India. BCCI to provide all help for the same."
Thakur added that stadiums "will be audited for energy efficiency." He said, "Energy audit of stadiums will be done on how rain harvesting systems, solar panels can be installed" (INDIA TODAY, 5/22).
