Amid the resentment over not retaining Saurav Ganguly as BCCI president, the current BCCI chief Roger Binny has praised the former Indian skipper stating that he (Ganguly) has the ability to change a cricketer overnight.
Sourav Ganguly is a big figure. He is a person who changed the face of Indian cricket. He is a big icon for the younger generation and someone to look upto, Binny told ANI.
The BCCI president further said, "Ganguly can change a cricketer overnight with the way they approach the game."
Speaking on team India's travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup, Binny said, "That isn't our call. We can't say where our team has to go. We need to take clearance from the Indian government if we leave the country, or other countries come here. We can't take that decision on our own, and we have to rely on the government."
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday lashed out at the Centre and asked, "Sourav Ganguly is from Bengal, so can't he be ICC Chairman? You removed Sourav Ganguly but retained Jay Shah."
"If they would've done this with Sachin Tendulkar, then also I would have protested. Today I'm ashamed that there's no representation of India in ICC," she added.
Binny was earlier elected unopposed at its AGM (Annual General Meeting) alongside Jay Shah who was re-elected as the secretary for a second successive term.
Binny, who played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs for India, has taken the charge ahead of the ODI World Cup in India next year.
On the other hand, there was no discussion on the chairmanship of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The next ICC chairman will reportedly be elected during the board meeting in Melbourne next month.