Narayanswamy Srinivasan is not easily liked when you consider the swagger with which he counters criticism, personalises an attack on an enemy, and even challenges the court of law with astonishing conviction. He's the sort of individual who would ridicule opinions of nine member board representatives at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting, and still get his way.


Fresh guard: N Srinivasan (left), Mumbai Cricket Association chief
Vilasrao Deshmukh and IPL boss Rajiv Shukla during the Annual General
Meeting of the Board at the Cricket Centre in Churchgate yesterday.
Srinivasan took over as the new BCCI president from Shashank Manoharu00a0
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"This Srinivasan is so arrogant, he's going to create a lot of enemies if he continues like this," a South African administrator said after meeting him for the first time last year. And no, that's not because he represents the world's most powerful cricket body. But there's his body of work that has earned him unconditional support of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and state association office bearers.

He's been a successful businessman and sports administrator at every stage of his life. That is finally sinking in among all. Yesterday, he officially opened his innings as BCCI President. And he certainly didn't throw up any surprises. He ruled out a post mortem of the disastrous tour to England, defended facilities at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), and even gave his own spin to the persisting question of BCCI's injury management system.