Five things to know about new BCCI head Roger Binny

Roger Binny replaces Sourav Ganguly as the new BCCI chief

Roger Binny on Tuesday becomes the new BCCI chief replacing Sourav Ganguly, as the latter heads back to his home state association, CAB, to contest for the election to become the president for a second term.

Binny, 67, was elected unopposed at the AGM (Annual General Meeting) of the world's richest cricket board. The all-rounder has played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs for India. He took charge ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in 2023.

A love for sports

Binny is known for his cricketing achievements, including winning the 1983 World Cup but the Indian player has always displayed an interest in sports. He was a javelin thrower, which affected his bowling posture, where Binny's non-landing foot pointed backwards.

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Binny is an avid golfer and when in Bangalore, the cricketer makes it a point to be on the course twice a week. Golfing requires patience, and Binny, in a conversation with The Indian Express, said he is a patient man.

He has also played as a left-back in hockey, for the state junior team and been a goalkeeper in football.

Binny on and off the pitch

Before his India team debut, Binny had already batted for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and represented them in the Irani Trophy against the rest of India. In the 1983 World Cup win, Binny took 18 wickets in eight games, the highest in that edition of the tournament. He also played an important role in India winning the Test series against England in 1986, taking five wickets while conceding 40 runs in the first innings.

Binny's record playing for India includes him being a batter combining finesse and power in domestic games, while troubling opponents, as a bowler, on the international scene with his swing.

Stuart Binny, Roger's son, played most of his games for India when Roger was a selector. While this caused some stir, the all-rounder reportedly excused himself from meetings where Stuart's slot was discussed.

Coach Binny

Roger Binny tasted world cup success again while coaching the Under-19 Indian cricket team which lifted the maiden trophy under the all-rounder's guidance. Mohammad Kaif was captain at the time and was open with his praise for how Binny gave players freedom but also intervened in crucial moments to help cement the win.

"I enjoyed captaining India because he (Binny) allowed me to make decisions, including the best XI. I have played under so many coaches and most of them feel since they are in charge they need to keep talking all the time. He was not like that. He spoke only after giving it a lot of thought. He was not insecure at all, he was not trying to be in the limelight, and never made an attempt to portray that the team was doing well because of him. He made sure the atmosphere was calm. Even in the winning photo, he was standing at one side and not waiting to grab the trophy," Kaif told IE.

Humble upbringing and family

Binny played his first match in the Salem districts, where he eventually went to school. His father, Terence, was a railway guard and encouraged Binny and his brothers in cricket. They received cricket sets as gifts for Christmas and Binny recalled Sunday cricket matches where the uncles and nephews would face off against each other.

Roger Binny is one of seven brothers and is married to his high school sweetheart for 44 years.

Dog rescuer, fisherman - the many hats of Roger Binny

Besides his sporting achievements, Binny is a dog rescuer and often ferries injured dogs to shelters, besides partaking in sterilization drives. He enjoys fishing as a getaway and Binny catches black-humped mahseer, in Coorg. Binny is a nature lover who spends time on his Bandipur farm, where he takes in rescue dogs, and where leopards and elephants are frequent visitors.

As BCCI chief, Binny's job is to ensure women's cricket and first-class cricketing thrives in the country, while players find it financially worthwhile to keep playing the game.

In its 94 years, India's governing cricket body has only had two other test players as full-time presidents - Ganguly, Binny's immediate predecessor, and Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram who served from 1954-56. Shivlal Yadav and Sunil Gavaskar had chipped in on an ad-hoc basis.