Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has slammed the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) for the way it has has handled allegations of sexual harassment against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri.
Ganguly, who is now president of Cricket Association of Bengal, also took a dig at board's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), of which he is a member, for picking Ravi Shastri as Team India's head coach.
"Decisions made in committees are turned around with complete disrespect, my experience in the matter of coach selection was appalling (the less said the better)," wrote Ganguly in his letter addressed to office-bearers of the BCCI.
It is believed that Shastri was preferred over Virender Sehwag after captain Virat Kohli let his choice known to the two other CAC members — Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.
This is for the first time since Vinod Rai-led COA has taken over the functioning of the board that a player of Ganguly's stature has come out and raised concern over issues which shows BCCI in poor light.
"I don't know how far it's true, but the recent reports of harassment has really made the BCCI look very poorly... more so the way it has been handled. The committee (COA) from four has come down to two and now the two seem to be divided (sic)," Ganguly took a dig at Rai for ignoring views of Diana Edulji, who wanted CEO's exit given the serious nature of charges.
Recently nine state cricket associations wrote to COA expressing their dismay alleging that sexual harassment allegations against Johri are being hushed up. Rai then constituted a three-member panel to look into the matter.
"I write this mail to you (office-bearers) all with the deep sense of fear as to where Indian cricket administration is going. Having played the game for a long period of time, where our lives were ruled by winning and losing, and the image of Indian cricket was of paramount importance to us. We wake up looking at how our cricket is faring even now," wrote Ganguly.
"But with deep sense of worry, (I use the word worry) I beg to state that the way things have gone in the last couple of years, the authority of Indian cricket to the world and the love and belief of millions of fans is on the way down," he added.
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