Forget Pawar and Shukla, it's time BCCI opts for a change of guard

The passing of Jagmohan Dalmiya is heralding yet another power struggle for the post of BCCI President. It is Indian cricket’s own Song of Ice and Fire – minus the blood and gore. With the BCCI required to announce the date for a Special General Meeting within 15 days of the current President’s untimely death, there is an eerie sense of familiarity to the names doing the rounds. [caption id=“attachment_2400712” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  File picture of Anurag Thakur. BCCI[/caption] Sharad Pawar – the man who was the BCCI president from 2005 to 2008 and the MCA President for over 10 years, and an ever-present in sports administration. Rajiv Shukla – the chairman of Indian Premier League and a long-time functionary with the BCCI. And of course, the erstwhile President N. Srinivasan is being touted as The Kingmaker and is thought to hold the key to who gets the sizeable number of votes that he still controls. And you know what they say about familiarity. It breeds contempt. Pawar and Shukla – who are both politically backed – are no strangers for controversies in their political and administrative careers. The 2013 IPL scandal that has continued to rock Indian cricket happened during Shukla’s tenure as the IPL chairman. Pawar’s political career has been littered with scandals. As far as Srinivasan is concerned, well, where do you start? What Indian cricket needed when Sourav Ganguly stepped down was a maverick, young leader in MS Dhoni, who went on to be hugely successful. When Dhoni announced his retirement from Tests, India’s most recognisable youngster in Virat Kohli was handed over the reins and the initial signs are positive. Indian cricket, on the field, has opted for young blood to lead its way. Why should it be any different when it comes to choosing the leader off the field? You can’t help but wonder if BCCI could really do worse than opting for a change of guard, instead of falling back on the tried-and-tested options, just like they did when choosing Jagmohan Dalmiya in March this year. Amitabh Choudhary, who has been around the cricket administration circle for a while heading the Jharkand State Cricket Association since 2002, is emerging as the consensus candidate from East Zone. An IIT graduate and a former IPS officer, Choudhary is credited with bringing success to Jharkand cricket and the successful construction of a brand new stadium in Ranchi, which has become an IPL regular. While he would technically represent a change of guard, he is, however, firmly believed to be a Srinivasan loyalist. Anurag Thakur, who has undoubtedly been running the show over the past few months when Dalmiya’s ill-health became public news, is quickly gaining a reputation as an efficient administrator. Part of the youth wing of the ruling BJP, Thakur has been taking a conscious effort in giving BCCI an image makeover – more media friendly, more transparent and more accessible. He fulfills the criteria required to be considered for the post as well. Current treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary is an option as well. With the Justice Lodha committee coming down heavily on the BCCI, the perception of the board in the mind of the public is arguably at an all-time low. Falling back on Pawar or Shukla is hardly going to help resurrecting and the last thing the board needs is to give Srinivasan the power to control Indian cricket. Right now, it is worth giving someone like Thakur the benefit of doubt, given that the rest of the candidates only inspire doubt.