Taking care of first-class cricketers and setting the house in order is among the top of the list for Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain said on the day he filed his nomination for the post of BCCI President. Ganguly is unopposed for the post after dislodging Brijesh Patel from the running but the 47-year-old said that he had never expressed an aspiration for the post.

"I had never expressed my aspiration for this post," Ganguly told reporters in Mumbai on Monday (14 October) after filing his nomination.

"Most representatives in the BCCI are new and the way the current constitution is framed, a lot of people are tentative to even decide on positions because if it is not good enough and if they cannot make a difference, they do not want to be a part of it because they lost their position in the state association. There are lot of issues which are very complex. Until 10.30 in the night yesterday, I was not aware of this. Then I was informed that I have to be the President of the BCCI," he said.

Ganguly compared him taking over as BCCI President in a time of instability in the board to when he became captain of the Indian team in 2000 in the wake of match-fixing scandals that had rocked the cricket world then. "Even when I became captain in 2000 there were issues. So it is always great to be seen as someone who can do things in difficult situations and hopefully I can deliver," he said.

Ganguly said that his experience as Cricket Association of Bengal president may have counted in his quick accession in the race. "I think experience was looked at. I have spent the last six years now in cricket administration. The house needs to be set in order and that is what we need to do at this moment. Hopefully in the next few months, we can put everything in place and bring back normalcy in Indian cricket."

He said that he will be focussing on improving the lives of cricketers in the domestic first class circuit. "My biggest focus will be on first-class cricket. I have been very vocal about taking care of the first-class cricketers. Indian cricket administration has to be the best in the world. We have to get the administration in order," he said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

First class cricket

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