Anurag Thakur: I wish the retired judges all the best to guide Indian cricket

01/02/2017

Anurag Thakur, the now-expelled president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has said that his commitment to the best of Indian cricket and the autonomy of the sports will always remain. He has also wished luck to the retired judges for the better management of the Indian cricket.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as the president and the secretary of the board respectively and also announced that a committee of administrators will be appointed on Jan 19 to oversee the operations of the BCCI.

Thakur took Twitter to open up for the first time after the decision of the Supreme Court. In a video uploaded by him on Twitter, Thakur said, “I had the honour of serving Indian cricket. Over the years, Indian cricket saw the best in terms of administration and development of the game. BCCI is the best-managed sports organization in the country with defined procedures. India has the best cricket infrastructure in the world, built and maintained by the state associations with the help of BCCI.”

He added, “India has more quality players than anywhere in the world. For me, it wasn't a personal battle, it was a battle for the autonomy of the sports body. I respect the Supreme Court as any citizen. Supreme Court judges feel BCCI can do well under retired judges. I wish them all the best. I'm sure Indian cricket will do well under their guidance. My commitment to the best of Indian cricket and the autonomy of the sports will always remain.”

The Supreme Court also declared that the senior-most BCCI vice-president will take over as the interim president of the BCCI if he/she will adhere to the Lodha Committee's recommendations. The to-be-appointed president will be supervised by the panel of administrators.

Former Chief Justice of India and the chairman of Lodha committee, Justice RM Lodha said, “This is the logical consequence. Once the recommendations were accepted by the court, it had to be implemented. There were obstructions, there were impediments ... obviously, this had to happen, and it has happened,” former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, the chairman of the Lodha Committee, said after the court order on Jan 2.

“The Supreme Court itself has ensured that its order of 18 July is now enforced. It's a victory for the game of cricket and it will flourish, administrators come and go, ultimately it is for the game,” he added.