Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar takes over troubled India board
Court removes scandal-tainted incumbent N. Srinivasan from office to make way for veteran who will take charge of the Indian Premier League
The Supreme Court installed batting legend Sunil Gavaskar as the interim head of India's troubled cricket board yesterday after forcing the scandal-tainted incumbent N. Srinivasan from office.
Three days after warning Srinivasan they would order him to stand down if he tried to cling to power, a panel of judges announced that 64-year-old Gavaskar would take the helm of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Gavaskar would be made "interim working president" of the BCCI, said the court, an appointment which places him in charge of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
We are very happy that the court has not passed any order that would have interrupted the tournament
The Twenty20 competition has been embroiled in allegations of illegal betting and spot-fixing, including against Srinivasan's son-in-law.
However, it was not immediately clear if Gavaskar would stay on beyond the tournament which begins next month, with a lawyer for the BCCI saying only a current board member could take over on a permanent basis.
There was no immediate reaction from Gavaskar to yesterday's announcement, but he has already indicated that he is willing to take on the task of leading the most powerful body in world cricket.
A lawyer for the board, meanwhile, said the BCCI "fully endorse(d) the order passed by the Supreme Court today", saying it was in line with its own proposals to the judges.
