Roger Binny set to be next BCCI chief

Rajiv Shukla will be vice-presidentMUMBAI: India's 1983 World Cup hero Roger Binny is set to succeed Sourav Ganguly as the next BCCI president, while Rajiv Shukla will continue to be the vice-president, TOI has learnt. While it's not entirely clear yet, Jay Shah, who was also heavily tipped to be the new president, is likely to continue as the BCCI secretary. Binny and the rest of the finalized candidates for the office-bearers' posts will file their nominations on Tuesday.

Candidates can file their nominations on Tuesday and Wednesday. The BCCI election, which will now be a mere formality, will take place on October 18. "Binny will be the new president of the BCCI.

Rajivji (Rajiv Shukla) will stay on as the VP," a reliable source, who arrived here on Monday for a meeting of all the state representatives called by the BCCI to decide on the five office-bearers' posts, told this paper late on Monday night, ahead of a formal meeting of the state representatives on Tuesday. Binny's arrival for this meeting more or less confirmed earlier reports that he was in the race for the president's post. The 67-year-old has played 27 Tests (47 wickets) from 1979-87 and 72 ODIs (77 wickets) from 1980-87.

His biggest hour of glory, of course, was the 1983 World Cup, when he took 18 wickets in 8 games@18.66, (best bowling 4-29) to emerge as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament and play a vital role in India's stunning triumph. TOI had on October 8 reported about the possibility of Binny becoming the new president of the BCCI. Speculation around Binny, who has served as a national selector in the past, being a surprise candidate for the coveted post was triggered when the former India seamer's name appeared on the BCCI's Draft