The schedule for the World Cup 2023 in India which was announced on Tuesday was welcomed with a lot of aplomb. BCCI secretary backed this edition of the 50-World Cup to be a landmark tournament, which once and for all, will erase doubts over the future of ODI cricket, while Virender Sehwag, already expecting a cracker of a tournament, picked out his four semi-finalists. Amid a plethora of positive vibes directed at the World Cup schedule, Sourav Ganguly's reaction is rather bittersweet. The former BCCI president, under whose reign India unfortunately couldn't host the World Cup two years ago, seemed pretty excited by the preparations, but at the same time, his message had a but of an emotional touch.
"Look forward to the World Cup in India. Missed out as president due to Covid. What a spectacle it will be. Great venues, great allocations. So many venues no country can boast of. BCCI will make it a tournament to remember for the world. Congratulations to all @BCCI, @jayshah, @RogerBinnyBCCI and all the other office bearers and staff," Ganguly tweeted.
Ganguly, after serving as the chairman of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), became the 35th BCCI president in October of 2019, shortly after the 2019 World Cup in England. While he was at helm, India were scheduled to host the T20 World Cup in 2020, but it was shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The back-to-back T20 World Cups were postponed by a year, now reschedule to 2021 and 2022, but once again due to the second wave of Covid in India, the tournament had to be moved to the UAE, where it was carried out smoothly where Australia emerged winners.
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{{/usCountry}}Ganguly, after serving as the chairman of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), became the 35th BCCI president in October of 2019, shortly after the 2019 World Cup in England. While he was at helm, India were scheduled to host the T20 World Cup in 2020, but it was shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The back-to-back T20 World Cups were postponed by a year, now reschedule to 2021 and 2022, but once again due to the second wave of Covid in India, the tournament had to be moved to the UAE, where it was carried out smoothly where Australia emerged winners.
Also Read - 'I'm all for ego but...': Wasim Akram fumes at 'unnecessary' World Cup 2023 schedule talk, asks PCB to 'move on'
{{/usCountry}}Ganguly remained in charge for three years before former India all-rounder Roger Binny replaced him last October. Ganguly reportedly endured an unceremonious exit from the BCCI. During his tenure, Ganguly was accused of meddling in selection meetings, something a president has no role in, and landed in further controversy when the whole spat with ex-India captain Virat Kohli broke out.
Kohli and Ganguly, two of the most successful captains in Indian cricket were at loggerheads when both contradicted each other's statements surrounding captaincy. While Ganguly said that he and the BCCI wanted Kohli to reconsider his decision to step down as India's T20I captain, Virat's version was that 'no such thing was conveyed' to him. Kohli was then removed as India's ODI captain after which he relinquished his position as India's Test skipper as well after losing 1-2 to South Africa in January 2022.