Former India captain Ravi Shastri has defended the embattled cricket board president N Srinivasan, saying he has done a lot of good for the game, says a report in Hindustan Times, addign that delivering the Dilip Sardesai lecture on Friday, Shastri left no one in doubt where his allegiance lies.
“The BCCI has become a punching bag. But one needs to see what all they have done for the game in the country. Srinivasan is a true fan of the game and a true administrator. If I were in his position, even I would not have resigned. I belong to the school of thought that you don’t back out of your responsibility. People say cricket is in a bad state, but all teams are doing well. Ask any player if he has complained?” Shastri asked,” Shastri said.
According to a report in The Times Of India, when asked to comment on the turbulent times the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is facing, the former India captain shot back, "I don't think it is turbulent. I don't believe there is anything like that. It is just a mindset and the board needs to conquer that. Just see what the BCCI has done for the sport, unlike other sport federations which are at loggerheads."
Praising Sharad Pawar for giving Lalit Modi a free hand to turn the Indian Premier League (IPL) into what it is, Shastri said, "It is so huge, so big that it attracts attention to its underbelly."
The former all-rounder, who is now also a member of the IPL governing council, named former BCCI chief Shashank Manohar as "arguably the best that BCCI has had". "With him it was also in black and white. There was nothing grey. A man of few words, Manohar was totally in control when at the helm."
According to a report in The Hindu, talking on the DRS debate, Shastri said: “The (stand of the) BCCI, and mine, has been vindicated. Three years ago there was (insinuation that) the things I said (against the DRS) were because I was under contract with the BCCI. I still stand by what I said three years ago. I am not against technology, but it must deliver better and consistent results. When players and umpires are inconsistent, they are dropped. Why is a technology inconsistent for four years (forced) down our throats?
“The DRS should be taken out of the players’ (control). The technology was meant to take the howler out of the game. It has not.”
Finally, Shastri lavished praise on Dhoni, saying he would go down as one of the greatest cricketers in the annals of Indian cricket.
