Anurag Thakur beat Sanjay Patel by a single vote to become BCCI secretary.
© AFP
In the latest shake-up of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's leadership, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association president and a BJP member of the Lok Sabha, Anurag Thakur has taken a giant leap. With the dream of being a BCCI president in his eyes, Thakur finally settled for the important secretary's position, but only after a tantalizing battle with incumbent Sanjay Patel. Thakur, who was joint-secretary, beat Patel by just one vote.
Anurag Thakur's Early, Historic Tryst With Cricket
Son of erstwhile Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Thakur's earliest tryst with cricket came in 2000, creating a unique record. (I was not supposed to contest BCCI elections: Sharad Pawar)
Thakur, 25, was the first player in the rich-history of the Ranji Trophy who led the Himachal side on debut. According to a report on the Economic Times, this was also the only time when a the chairman of a state selection committee deemed himself fit to play as well as lead the side! Two months prior to Thakur's on-field debut, he was elected the chief of HPCA. (Time to give BCCI a new image: Anurag Thakur)
That was Thakur's only appearance on the cricket field (scoring a duck and bagging two wickets), but that was enough for him to nominate himself for a national selector's post with the BCCI. For the next three years, Thakur was a junior national selector.
Riding on the success of the picturesque Dharamsala stadium, built in 2003 under Thakur's reign, he gained popularity within the BCCI ranks and was soon made the joint-secretary.
Other affiliations and controversies
- After becoming the youngest HCA president in 2000, Thakur was manager of the Indian Under-19 side during the World Cup in 2001-02, held in New Zealand.
- In 2005-06, Thakur was involved in a legal tussle with the then BCCI president Sharad Pawar for the control of the HPCA. This bitter tangle led to a situation when two Himachal Pradesh teams turned up for a Ranji Trophy match vs Tripura. Interestingly, Thakur's candidature was backed by Pawar in the BCCI AGM in Chennai on Monday!
At 40, Thakur has already seen a fair share of ups and downs in his political and administartive career. On Monday, as BCCI secretary, an ambitious Thakur has been handed a chance to move up the ranks of the Indian cricket board.
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