Drawing "continuous flak" from the Indian Supreme Court for not implementing the Lodha Committee recommendations, Board of Control for Cricket in India President Anurag Thakur on Monday said that the State units were "currently confused about some of the suggestions and needed more clarity before complying," according to Krishnadas Rajagopal of THE HINDU. The Supreme Court on Monday "reserved its order on directions to be passed to BCCI for implementation of Lodha panel's recommendations." Thakur: "You need 3/4th majority to adopt these recommendations. We have done our duty to go back to the state associations and they have to take a call on that. If you don't have 3/4th majority, you cannot adopt these recommendations. Right now, there is more confusion in the state associations on how to implement the recommendations, I think we need more clarity" (THE HINDU, 10/17). THE HINDU's Uthra Ganesan reported Thakur "gave the first indications that the Board might pare its opposition and be open to working out an agreeable formula in the matter." Insisting that it was "not easy to turn the existing structure of cricket governance in the country entirely upside down at one go regardless of any judicial verdict, Thakur, nonetheless, was not stubborn about not implementing any order." He said, "It’s not just the BCCI office-bearers. You cannot simply do away with the entire management and the existing set up at one go. There are the State associations and then the zones, the districts and the clubs. Some States have more than 4,000 members. It has to go all the way down to that level and all this takes time." Taking "a dig" at the latest Supreme Court order that mandated a requisition to the Lodha panel for any BCCI decision, Thakur said that the Board would announce Rs. 1 crore ($150,000) for the Indian team as appreciation for becoming No. 1 in Tests "provided the court approves of it since we have to take permission for all decisions." Thakur: "I hope it will not be turned down" (THE HINDU, 10/16).
