Kolkata: Vinod Rai, the head of the Committee of Administrators is most likely to step down from the Supreme Court appointed body in September if the Lodha Committee reforms aren’t implemented by the BCCI.
According to reports from the Hindustan Times, Rai is mentally prepared to step down if the Lodha reforms executed by the BCCI. A source said, “Mr Rai is doing this work honorary. He has other important work to accomplish rather than following up with the BCCI members to implement the Supreme Court order. He has given himself time till September before deciding to stay in the committee,”
The Committee of Administrators was formed in January earlier this year. Noted historian Ramachandra Guha resigned from the panel citing the problems he had with the ongoing working process and the way things are dealt with by the BCCI which reduced the body to three members.
However, the number is set to decrease as Vikram Limaye is all set to join the National Stock Exchange as it’s head next month. Thus, only Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji remain in the CoA and the failure on the part of the BCCI to execute the Lodha reforms could leave former women’s cricketer Diana Edulji as the only member in the panel.
The original work of the Committee of Administrators was to ensure the implementation of the Lodha Committee reforms but their attention and focus has been diverted courtesy their involvements in issues like the BCCI-ICC conflict and the Kohli-Kumble saga in recent times.
The BCCI in it’s SGM on Monday decided to form a seven member committee to implement the Lodha reforms. The body is headed by Rajeev Shukla and comprises of former skipper Sourav Ganguly among others.
There has been a lot of adamancy shown by the Indian board in issues like the one-state-one-vote policy, 70-age criteria, cooling off period between two terms, the nine-year tenure restriction rule and the they have also opposed the three-member selection committees criteria.
On July 14, the affidavits filed by the state units regarding their reservations will be heard by the Supreme Court, which would also look into the status report filed by the CoA.
The CAC did not talk to Kumble over conflict with Kohli
According to reports, the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman didn’t sit down with Kumble to listen to his side of the conflict with skipper Virat Kohli.
“The CAC gave a patient hearing to Virat (Kohli) and concluded that since the problems weren’t substantial, and the team’s performance was good, there was no reason to remove Kumble. It didn’t even meet Kumble to ask him his side of the story because it felt he had done a good job since being appointed by the CAC a year ago. The CAC’s stand perhaps made Virat desperate, and he then sought a meeting with the BCCI officials after the CT final in London last Monday, a source said.