 BCCIs first Patron-in-Chief Jagmohan DalmiyaIn an unprecedented move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India appointed Jagmohan Dalmiya as its Patron-in-Chief for a period of three years, yesterday.
Currently the president of the BCCI, Dalmiya will take charge of his new position once his tenure as president ends on September 30.
Dalmiya is among the few who have been credited with changing the face of Indian cricket in the last decade.
The BCCIs senior-most vice-president Kamal Morarka said Dalmiyas presence was required to deal with the International Cricket Council as the board had problems dealing with the worlds cricketing body in the past.
But according to a few patrons of Indian cricket, Dalmiya still has a lot on his hands and can take the state of Indian cricket several notches higher.
One can not improve the standard by improving the infrastructure. The need of the hour is academies. I think we should have an academy in every state so that we can spot talent from the rural areas as well, Dungarpur said.
Also we need to impart physical training from a very young age. You cannot start getting fitter after wearing Indian colours. It has to be from the under-16 level as it is in countries like Australia, he added.
Madan Lal said there should be more concentration on domestic cricket.
Domestic cricket has to be more competitive so that we can have a larger pool of players to select from.
Also Dalmiya has got money into domestic cricket and the need now is to spend it on academies like the National Cricket Academy which has produced quality players.
There was a bit of debate over Dalmiyas appointment including a petition filed by Bhopal Cricket Association member Jogesh Khattar in a Bhopal court.
Lal and Dungarpur said Dalmiya is the right man for the job.
The board has taken the right decision. He is a very good administrator and has done a lot for Indian cricket. He also makes it a point to listen to the players and work on the suggestions they give. He has the ability to solve any kind of problems, said former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal, who was a selector when Dalmiya was the BCCI president in 2001.
Former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur too welcomed the decision.
If some has to be the Patron-in Chief than it has to be Dalmiya. After all that he has done he deserves the job and the recognition, Dungarpur said.
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