'New office bearers need to help BCCI regain lost glory at world level': N Srinivasan

With the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) finally issuing the October 23 election notice on Wednesday, the battle for control of cricket in India has formally started. One man, N Srinivasan, who has constantly been blamed for creating the present mess in the world's richest cricket body post the 2014 spot-fixing scandal, will not be representing Tamil Nadu Cricket Association this time around. But his shadow will certainly be looming large even in his absence with his daughter Rupa Gurunath making her maiden appearance into the cricket headquarters. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Have you forgotten or overcome the bitterness after being blamed for whatever wrong happened in BCCI post 2014?

I am a person who never dwells in the past. I always look ahead. I feel that there is a lot that needs to be done in Indian cricket. Controversies are in everybody's mind and I only believe that the most important thing is how we go ahead now.

How do you see the future with your daughter Rupa entering cricket administration?

Well, she has been unanimously elected by the TNCA members. Now, she will need to draw up the plans about how to go forward. Why only questions are being asked about her (Rupa) and not about others who have been elected across the country? She is a whole-time director of India Cements (family-owned company), has almost a decade's experience in handling administrative work.

Will you be there to help her?

If she asks for any advice, I shall always be there to help her. But then, she is an independent mind and must have plans about how to improve cricket.

But when you say Indian cricket has lost a lot in the past few years, what exactly do you mean?

During my tenure in BCCI or in ICC, I always ensured that India gets its due. Be it in terms of revenue or in cricketing matters, interests of BCCI were always paramount to me. Look how ICC rule changes in white ball cricket has hurt Team India in recent times, or BCCI gets a lot less money than what was agreed upon during my term there as president. Regretfully, all those who were at the helm of BCCI during the time court cases were on failed to protect board's interests.

It is believed that you were the one who stonewalled the use of DRS, which BCCI accepted soon after your exit?

I was not against any new technology. But I was certainly against any new innovation which was not conclusive. I remember when I had a meeting with the officials of the company providing Hawk Eye's Ball Tracking technology. I asked a simple question to them that: 'how could you be so sure that a particular ball will go in the direction or will exactly rise as per your machine's imagination?'. I was only explained that this is a 'Leap of Faith' and technological advancement has to be encouraged and accepted. I again asked them "whether this ball tracking system is 100 per cent correct". The answer that came was again the same.

Now, the BCCI has accepted Hawk-Eye post your exit?

Is there a doubt that the Indian team was at the receiving end on so many occasions because of this faulty "ball tracking" technology? I firmly believe that if any technology is not 100 per cent correct, one wrong decision can change the course of the game. And that has happened with Indian players in the recent past.

Coming to the BCCI elections, has TNCA implemented all the reforms in new constitution? Or COA is correct in marking your state as "non-compliant".

COA should read the last SC judgement carefully. There are a lot of issues that we or various other state associations have raised before the hon'ble court, but has not been dealt with due to constraint of time due to ongoing important cases there. However, the apex court had made it absolutely clear in September 20 orders that "states should go ahead with elections as per the August 9, 2018 orders". If any state will not follow the directions, the court can undo the results and even punish them following the hearing and subsequent ruling that will follow on our requests.

Is it all being done by COA to keep you out in particular or the states backing you?

One can certainly judge that there is bias against TNCA. But then if we are compliant, except for the issues being raised before the court, how come anyone stop TNCA or all those states from fighting for their rights? The new office bearers need to work together in order to help BCCI regain the lost glory at world level.