The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has done most of the things right in the last two decades to see them dominating the game proceedings. The rise of the stature of the Indian team due to the advent of IPL and two World Cup victories has also helped the board to be among the Big 3, along with Cricket Australia and England Cricket Board. Currently, the former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is donning the role of the President of the apex body.
With the significance of the role being critical to transforming cricket in the country, it will require an individual, who has the conscience, prior cricket-playing experience and proficiency in administrative operation. Some of the current crops of players do possess the ability to preside over this role in the near future, after their retirement from the game.
In this article, we will look at 5 Indian players who can become BCCI President in future.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin has been one of the finest spinners to ever feature for the country. His performances across all the formats have helped India to progress well over the last decade. In particular, the 35-year-old has scalped 442 wickets in 86 Test matches.
The Chennai-based cricketer has immaculate communication skills, which have been lauded by the cricket fraternity. With the experience of captaining in the IPL and his curiousness to improve the structure of domestic cricket, Ashwin can turn out to be a strong contender to don the role of President of BCCI.
2. Dinesh Karthik
Often overshadowed by Dhoni's presence since the first decade of this century, Karthik has come a long way in his career. The 37-year-old had once again displayed his match-winning abilities to secure a thrilling victory for India in Nidahas Trophy 2018. However, his lackluster performance in the 2019 World Cup saw him getting dropped from the team.
Afterwards, Karthik proved himself in domestic cricket and IPL 2022 to make an international comeback after three years. With experience in captaining Tamil Nadu and IPL teams and the knowledge of players' issues, he can be the right candidate for this role as well.
3. Virat Kohli
Often hailed as the 'King' of modern-day cricket, Kohli has been the most consistent cricketer for the Indian team since his debut in 2008. Often doubts were cast on his abilities after his dismal Tour to England in 2014, but he learned from his tough phase to produce a terrific fightback to carve his own niche in international cricket.
In addition, the 33-year-old has set an example with his successful stint as a leader for India across all three formats. His long-term vision to make India prevail on foreign soil resulted in making India resurgent with their pace-bowling factory. To sum it up, Kohli has all the necessary attributes to take Indian cricket forward as a BCCI top-brass as well.
4. Hardik Pandya
The swashbuckling all-rounder filled the missing puzzle for the Indian team when he made his debut in 2016. The fast-bowling all-rounder propelled India with his contributions in both departments. Recently, Pandya, in his first-ever stint as a captain in IPL, led Gujarat Titans to a thumping title victory in the IPL 2022.
However, Pandya has seen ups and downs in his career, which has developed him into a mature cricketer. Along with the in-built leadership, Pandya has also displayed his side of proper communication with his fellow team-mates, which is one of the key qualities for this critical position.
5. Rohit Sharma
The most successful captain in the IPL, with five title victories under his belt, Rohit has been an inspiration to the budding cricketers. Furthermore, the 35-year-old is the only batter to go past the totals of 200+ thrice in his illustrious career.
As a leader for the Men in Blue in 38 matches, the top-order batter has tasted success in 31 of them and has a prolific winning rate of 81.57%. With a decade-long experience in man-management and laying strategies for the Indian team to prosper well on the field, Rohit can be a strong applicant for the BCCI President role.
