Former BCCI President N Srinivasan has lambasted outgoing ICC President Shashank Manohar and called him ‘anti-Indian’. Srinivasan said that Manohar, who stepped down as ICC chief on Wednesday, is running away after causing irreparable damage to Indian cricket.

“Ever since the new leadership has come into BCCI, Shashank knew he could not afford to represent India and use that as a vehicle for his convenience. He knew he had no chance (to continue) and therefore he had run away,” Srinivasan told The Times of India.

Manohar, who took charge of the global body as its first independent chairman in 2015, is stepping down after two two-year tenures. His deputy Imran Khwaja of Hong Kong has taken over as interim chairman. 

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However, Srinivasan has claimed that Manohar is running away after Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah took over the BCCI leadership.

“My personal view is he has done so much damage to Indian cricket that every person involved in Indian cricket will be happy (with his exit). He has hurt India’s finances in the game, has hurt India’s chances at the ICC, he has been anti-Indian, and has reduced India’s importance in world cricket. He is running away now because he knows he will not get any bow from the Indian leadership. He has caused huge damage,” Srinivasan said.

Now the contenders for the ICC chief post are Sourav Ganguly, Colin Graves, and Dave Cameron.