By Ujjwal Roy
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 23 (ANI): Snehashish Ganguly, brother of legendary cricketer and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, was elected as the president of the Cricket Association Of Bengal (CAB) unopposed after his brother decided not to contest the polls.
Snehashish said that though Sourav Ganguly is not in the administration, he is a living legend and will always support the board.
“Earlier, Ganguly had announced to fight for CAB president. But in the last 2-4 days, things changed. Yesterday, he changed his mind. Earlier, the panel had undergone changes and it was finalised only today. You cannot think of Bengal cricket without Sourav Ganguly. He is always there with us and is just a call away if we need his advice even though he is not in the administration. And as for Avishek Dalmiya, I have worked with him closely. I have seen how meticulous he is. We shall make sure we use his experience,” said Snehashish to ANI.
“Cricket has always been my priority. It is not going to change now. I will give my best to take Bengal cricket to the next level. We have gone through the worst phase of human civilization because of COVID-19. Now that we are coming back to normal, we are making sure cricket gets the highest priority be it men’s or women’s or age group cricket,” said Snehashish to the media.
On the plans for the next 50-over World Cup which will be held in India, Snehashish said preparations have already started.
“The lights have been upgraded to LED operating on advanced DMX technology. The setting up of new seats is on. Repair and construction of new canopies is underway. We also have plans of upgrading the club house,” he added.
He said that CAB Super League will start from November 7 onwards.
“This is to space out the season and move from white to red ball and give players enough time to get ready for the domestic season,” he added.
The unopposed panel that filed nominations today were Snehashis Ganguly (President), Amalendu Biswas (Vice President), Naresh Ojha ( Hony. Secretary), Prabir Chakraborty (Hony. Treasurer), Debabrata Das (Jt. Secretary).
On India’s win over Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup, Snehashish said that the way Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya won the match for India was amazing.
“We saw an outstanding match. We had lost hope at one point. We got to see the old Virat Kohli after a long time, who is considered as best in chasing. The way Virat won the match with support from Hardik Pandya was amazing,” he said.
Snehashish said that though the T20Is are unpredictable, India is still a great side and he hopes that it lifts the trophy.
With this win, India is at top of Group 2 with two points.
Put to bat first by India, Pakistan put up 159/8 in their 20 overs. Shan Masood (52) and Iftikhar Ahmed (51) scored solid half-centuries but Pakistan kept losing wickets consistently. A 76-run stand between Masood and Ahmed was crucial for Pakistan.
Hardik Pandya (3/30) and Arshdeep (3/32) shined for India with the ball. Shami and Bhuvneshwar also got a wicket each.
Chasing 160, India was reduced to 31/4 in less than seven overs. From then on, Virat and Hardik started to rebuild the game, putting a 113-run stand. Pandya was dismissed for 40 but Virat ended unbeaten to score 82 off 53 balls with six fours and four sixes to guide his team to a four-wicket win.
Virat got the ‘Man of the Match’ for his knock.
Brief score: Pakistan 159/8 (Shan Masood 52*, Iftikhar Ahmed 51; Hardik Pandya 3-30) vs India: 160/6 (Virat Kohli 82*, Hardik Pandya 40, Haris Rauf 2/36). (ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service. TheNewsMill holds no responsibility for this content.
