Bengaluru, Oct 18 (Agency) Expressing extreme happiness over the appointment of Roger Binny as BCCI President, former team India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that the incumbent top official would look into the prospects of upgrading facilities at the grounds to improve the popularity of the sport even further. “I think one area where probably he (Binny) would look into and Indian cricket must look into is – you have got to make it a spectator-friendly sport. So for me the most important thing is for the facility at the grounds to be upgraded big time and it should be insisted on,” he said. “With the kind of bucks coming into the sport, for people who come to the grounds, they have got to get the best facilities to watch the game and enjoy it.
If that happens, you will get more and more people to watch the game. The popularity of the sport will soar even further,” Shastri told a section of media soon after the appointment of Binny.He said he is extremely happy for Binny because he is the first member of the 1983 World Cup winning team to have been appointed as BCCI President.Shastri also said it is good to see cricketers putting their hands up for taking up the responsibility of BCCI presidency.”It is not the first time, it has happened before. Roger (Binny) was the president of KSCA. There are many associations that have been headed by cricketers. Sourav (Ganguly) was with CAB. Anil Kumble was with KSCA.”
“So, there have been instances in the past and it is good to see cricketers throwing their hands up,” he said. Aged 67, Binny has played 27 Test matches and bagged 47 wickets, while played 72 ODIs, but his hour of glory came during the 1983 World Cup hosted in England where he bagged 18 wickets in eight matches. Binny has also been a successful coach for India U-19 team which won the 2000 World Cup title. That team boasted of captain Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. He also coached Bengal and Karnataka Ranji teams from 2012 and was also part of the national senior selection committee, but he had to relinquish the post due to conflict of interest in 2015. Then, his son Stuart Binny was part of the Indian team. Binny was also elected as the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 2019.