Baba and Satish axed from India support staff

In another move to weaken the control of the previous regime, the BCCI has done away with the services of two N Srinivasan aides who were regulars in the Indian team's travelling contingent for the last three years. Dr RN Baba and MA Satish have been relieved as media manager and logistics manager, respectively, by the new regime headed by Jagmohan Dalmiya.

Since taking charge of the board, Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur have been working on distancing the BCCI from Srinivasan, whose controversial regime as president ended in March. While Satish, a former Kerala first-class cricketer, was roped in to the India team's support staff in 2011, Baba had been accompanying the team since the World Twenty20 in 2012.

While Rishikesh Upadhyay has been appointed as the logistics manager for the tour of Bangladesh, administrative manager Biswarup Dey will double up as media manager during the 17-day tour.

With Satish being an India Cements employee, he had to be withdrawn from the India squad midway through last year's World Twenty20. He was replaced with Satyajit Parab, a former Baroda opener who hails from the hometown of then secretary Sanjay Patel. However, immediately after the Supreme Court issued an order in the IPL corruption scandal in January, Satish was brought back as a member of the support staff since the tri-series in Australia.

Baba, despite being a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association member, continued in his role all through the corruption scandal court case since he is not employed with Srinivasan's India Cements. Despite facing the wrath of the travelling Indian media contingent, Dr Baba had earned MS Dhoni's praise. "I keep telling him, if the media is happy with you, then you are not a good media manager," Dhoni had said towards the end of the World Cup.

While the Indian Express reported that Dr Baba used to be paid Rs 5 lakh (US$ 7805) per tour and Satish drew a monthly salary of Rs 6 lakh (US$ 9366) by the BCCI, the figures could not be independently ascertained.

Since being elected in March, Thakur and Dalmiya have made a conscious effort to end Srinivasan's control over the BCCI affairs. It reflected in appointments of BCCI sub-committees and has now filtered into the appointments of Indian team's support staff.