Journalism of Courage
Anurag Thakur has been elected as the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The 41-year-old Thakur was elected unanimously at a special general meeting Sunday to replace Shashank Manohar, who quit the position this month to become chairman of the International Cricket Council. Manohar had to leave the BCCI because recent amendments to the ICC constitution made the role of chairman independent and not open to anyone holding office in a national cricket body. (Source: BCCI)
Anurag Thakur, a 41-year-old parliamentarian, was BCCI Honorary Secretary before his elevation, which came at a special general meeting in Mumbai. He also resigned as the secretary of the Board, got the signatures of all six east zone units in his BCCI presidential nomination form, as he completed the formalities in presence of former India captain and CAB president Sourav Ganguly. (Source: BCCI)
Anurah Thakur, who is also a MP, became the second-youngest president of the Board at the age of 41. The youngest was Fateh Singh Gaekwad, who became the BCCI president in 1963 at the age of 33. (Source: BCCI)
Anurah Thakur takes over reins of the embattled Board in rather tough times as the BCCI is facing heat from the Supreme Court to implement the Justice RM Lodha Committee's recommendations for sweeping reforms. Thakur, incidentally, will go into the books as the first first-class cricketer to turn BCCI president after Raj Singh Dungarpur lay down office in 1998-99. He has represented Himachal Pradesh in a lone Ranji Trophy game as a right-hand batsman and off break bowler in 2000-11 season. He is also the third person backed by East Zone to be elected to the top post during the 2016-1017 period. (Source: BCCI)
Congratulatory messages poured in for Anurag Thakur after he took over as the BCCI President in Mumbai on Sunday with senior players and his Board colleagues expressing confidence that Indian cricket would continue to flourish in his tenure. (Source: BCCI)
