Sunil Gavaskar expresses concern about 'Dilly-dallying' over naming new cricket administrators

According to Gavaskar, R.M. Lodha recommendations are for the greater good of cricket and all national sports federations should implement them.

Kolkata: Former captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday expressed concerns over the dilly dallying of naming the new set of administrators to run Indian cricket, saying pushing back of the hearing date further would be harmful to Indian Premier League (IPL) preparations.

"I just hope over the next few days there is a final decision taken as to the administrators appointed so we can go ahead and start planning for the IPL. I think any further delay is not going to help," Gavaskar said at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Centre and an embattled Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to suggest names for appointment in the committee of administrators to run the cricket body, making it clear that no one over the age of 70 years should be considered.

The court, which had initially sought names from amicus curiae, Anil Divan and Gopal Subramaniam, for appointing the administrators, deferred the decision to announce the names of administrators till January 30 after the BCCI and the central government successfully argued that they should also be allowed to give names in sealed covers for consideration.

"With the names to be announced Monday or Tuesday, hopefully that will be the end of all this and we can start looking ahead," Gavaskar said.

According to the 67-year old who is revered as the original "Little Master" for his batting exploits, amassing 10,122 runs 125 Tests, some R.M. Lodha recommendations are for the greater good of cricket and all national sports federations should implement them.

"I think the reforms, while you might not agree with everything I think there were needed. They were needed not just in Indian cricket but they are needed in all sports federations.

"Having said that, the BCCI is probably the only national sporting federation where there was a change in the offices of the president and secretary every three years and five years. There was always a new person coming. So Mr. (Sharad) Pawar had three years, Mr Dalmiya had three years. Every one has three years, and then they moved away and the senior vice-presidents took over," he added.

"So there was this thing happening, it`s just that in other federations it is needed. Whatever it is, the Supreme Court`s decision has to be respected and we all have to accept. As I said, the quicker we get ahead, the better it will be for Indian cricket."

On one-state-one-vote issue which has been opposed by the BCCI, Gavaskar said,

"I actually have no problems with how many votes a state has. My only concern is that it should not automatically mean that states which are not ready for first class cricket are given the Ranji Trophy or first class status.

"If for example you have one-state-one-vote because of this, every state, say Meghalaya and Nagaland, who don`t have proper cricketing infrastructure are going to play Ranji Trophy when they are not ready to play first class cricket, then I think the standard of cricket will be dilluted and that`s not going to help Indian cricket."