BCCI should be brought under Govt purview: Pankaj Advani

Ace cueist Pankaj Advani on Wednesday came out in support of the idea of bringing the Cricket Board (BCCI) under government purview, saying then only Team India would represent the country.

Ace cueist Pankaj Advani on Wednesday came out in support of the idea of bringing the Cricket Board (BCCI) under government purview, saying then only Team India would represent the country.

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Advani, who finished second behind English ace Mike Russell in the recently concluded world championships, endorsed minister of sports and youth affairs Ajay Maken's stand to introduce a bill in Parliament to bring accountability in sports administration.

"BCCI is obviously the best sporting federation in the country. But it should come under the government purview. Only then can it be called Team India, otherwise it would be Team BCCI," the seven-time world champion told reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event for Citizen watches.

The 26-year-old Bangalorean said he supported the Sports Bill as it was aimed at bringing in transparency among the National Sports Federations (NSFs).

"I did feel that the sports minister was correct when he said there should be accountability. Federations must be transparent in what they do. If that is the whole idea of the Bill, then I am up for it," said Advani.

"The federations need to be proactive. Not all federations are, let's be honest. As a sportsperson, I have dealt with federations and have friends who keep complaining that federations keep delaying ticketing, funding, equipment and so on. And that is why the sports bill is important," the reigning national billiards champion added.