Pawar has contributed a lot to India's cricket: IS Bindra

Mohali: Veteran administrator and Punjab Cricket Association President IS Bindra today praised former BCCI president and political heavyweight Sharad Pawar for his “contribution to Indian cricket”.

Pawar, who has also been a former ICC president, today again made a comeback to cricket administration as he took over as president of Mumbai Cricket Association from Ravi Savant.

Bindra said,“There is nothing wrong in politicians or for that matter civil servants heading the sports bodies”.

He, however, made it clear that the politicians running the sports bodies should not think about serving their own interests rather they should take the sport forward. With Union Agriculture Minister Pawar being declared elected unopposed in MCA, Bindra, a strong critic of current BCCI chief N Srinivasan recalled Pawar’s contribution to the sport, saying it was during his time that marketing revenues of the cash-rich cricket body went up.

About Pawar, who has headed BCCI and also ICC in the past, Bindra said,“It is good that he wants to come back for giving something back to the game and still wants to make contribution to the sport”.

Asked that he has been vocal about the need to clean up the ills that plague the Indian cricket, Bindra said that he was satisfied that a three-member committee had been appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

He said that the committee was headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal.

“We have full faith in Justice Mudgal, he is a man of proven integrity. Moreover, the committee was appointed by the Supreme Court, nobody can ask for more than that”.

Bindra, meanwhile, heaped praise on Sachin Tendulkar, who will play his 200th Test match at homeground in Mumbai soon. He said that it was only fair to have bigger Test centre like Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosting his 199th Test match, which would allow nearly 70,000 fans to watch the match.

He said that it is always sad when a legend of the game retires, whom people compare with someone like Don Bradman and some even higher than him, but the occasion calls for celebration as fans have to give a befitting tribute to the maestro. Bindra said that a befitting tribute to Tendulkar would be to give him packed houses in his final Tests and the last one at Mumbai.

The PCA chief said he will be going to Mumbai to catch the live action.

PTI