Mohammad Azharuddin, former Indian captain and current President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), on Thursday (October 24), hailed Sourav Ganguly’s appointment as BCCI president, saying the legendary captain deserves the top role.
Azhar, who was Sourav’s captain when he made his Test debut at Lord’s way back in 1996, has called for the support, as he sensed a lot of positives during his tenure for Indian cricket.
While Azharuddin made his debut at BCCI’s general body meeting on Wednesday, Ganguly took over as BCCI president on the same day, it was a special day for the two former captains but HCA president didn’t speak much to reporters, saying: “Today is Sourav’s day. I will speak only tomorrow. Today Sourav is the groom and he deserves all the attention.”
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Azhar told The Telegraph, “I feel really happy for Sourav. He fully deserves the president’s role. I’ve always respected him and want to help him in his endeavor. He has his ideas and we should work together with him. He has the experience and time and again has shown that he’s a good leader.”
He continued, “He can think differently and has a vision. He needs the right support and we will see a lot of positives coming out of his tenure.”
The 56-year-old was also happy to be part of the BCCI, saying: “The most important thing is to contribute your ideas and make it a better place. I never realized I would reach such a position. Your never really know what destiny has in store.”
On being asked about the recent trend of former cricketers coming into administration, Azhar said: “This is always a good move. But how far it will pay off depends on the individual. I would consider it good since the players will be on a different level. They have played the game and will have different thoughts and ideas. They understand the players’ mindset, their needs and what their psyche is.”
He added, “They know the nuances of the sport. I am trying my best to improve Hyderabad cricket, which has seen a downslide, after taking over as the association’s president. But people should remember that I don’t have a magic wand. Things will happen slowly. There are a lot of things to work on and it will not happen over the next 15 days. It will be a continuing process.”
Meanwhile, former India captain was not also sure about Virat Kohli’s idea of having five permanent Test centers will work out to attract crowds to the traditional format of the game.
He explained, “There are so many centers in India. I don’t know how far that is feasible as it is very hard to slot only T20Is and ODIs in the smaller centers. That is why I always felt the rotation policy was good. There are so many well-maintained and professionally run centers in India. It’s sad that Test cricket isn’t attracting crowds. If Sourav has ideas he will implement and we are behind him. We want to bring the crowds back to Test cricket. But things can’t happen overnight. The BCCI is in place after almost three years. We have to learn from the past and move ahead.”
Azhar also commented on the talks of Day-Night Tests to attract crowds: “I’m not sure about Day-Night Tests. It’s always good to experiment. But all the people involved in the process should agree. Drastic changes may not always click.”
However, the former international was agreed with Ganguly’s idea that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) should be made into a state-of-the-art facility.
Azhar signed off by saying, “I agree that a lot of improvement is needed at NCA. This is where the players should hone their skills and the best facilities must be provided. The players should get the much-needed guidance here. It shouldn’t be reduced to a rehab center. As for first-class cricket, I want Duleep Trophy back in its zonal format. My personal view is that will be better for Indian cricket.”
(With The Telegraph Inputs)
