Binny's agenda: reducing player injuries, improving pitches for domestic cricket

New BCCI president Roger Binny has called the frequent, and sometimes recurrent, injuries to premier India cricketers a "concern".

On his first day in the new position, which was confirmed at the BCCI's annual general meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday, Binny said he wanted to "get to the bottom of it all" when it comes to injuries, and figure out ways of reducing them as a matter of priority.

"We will look to improve on what we can do to reduce the injuries to players," Binny said in an informal chat with members of the media. "Players getting frequently injured is a concern, and we wish to get to the bottom of it all and see how it can be changed for the better.

"We have excellent doctors and trainers at the National Cricket Academy [in Bengaluru], but we must look to reduce the injuries and improve recovery."

India have fielded 40 players across formats in 2022, partly because of the volume of cricket, with series often being held simultaneously, but also because of injuries. India are at the men's T20 World Cup in Australia at the moment, but don't have their best bowler Jasprit Bumrah because of a stress injury of the back, and key allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, who recently underwent surgery on his right knee. Also, Deepak Chahar, who had torn a quadricep muscle in February and then picked up a back issue during its rehabilitation, made only a brief comeback before another back injury ruled him out of travelling as a reserve player to Australia.

Other than dealing with the issue of player injuries, Binny stressed on the importance of improving pitches used for domestic cricket in India. "There needs to be more life in the wickets at home, so that our teams would not have the problem of adjusting when travelling abroad - like in Australia, where there is more pace and bounce."

Binny has become only the third cricketer to become BCCI president, after the Maharajah of Vizianagram and Sourav Ganguly, both former India captains too. Ganguly, who was replaced at the helm by Binny, was present at the meeting as the representative of the Cricket Association of Bengal, where he is soon expected to return as president.

At 67, Binny is eligible for one term - that is, three years - as BCCI president, keeping in mind the age cap of 70 meant for administrators and office bearers in the BCCI constitution. Part of Kapil Dev's World Cup-winning Indian team of 1983, where he was the tournament's highest wicket-taker, Binny moved into coaching, served as a national selector, and also as Karnataka State Cricket Association administrator before becoming the BCCI chief.

Meanwhile, the BCCI formally approved the women's IPL, and authorised the office bearers to formalise its due processes. It also authorised the office bearers to decide on the BCCI representative to the ICC, and announced that the Apex Council would elect the cricket advisory committee and the next selection committee.

The office bearers have also been tasked with improving the fan experience at matches by improving the stadium infrastructure across the country.