The path for N Srinivasan's likely exit as board president was paved after much drama, including a flurry of phone calls between him and BCCI joint secretary, Anurag Thakur, on Friday night and Saturday morning. Srinivasan was eventually persuaded to change his mind having insisted that he had the numbers to stay in power.
A top BCCI official told HT, “There are only four or five people in the BCCI who command a say. The rest of the associations and officials tow their line. In fact, this is what created confusion as Srinivasan's future rested in the hands of these big guns, who he underestimated.
“For example, the entire North zone states were always going to be on one side despite J&K boss Farooq Abdullah supporting Srinivasan. What clinched the deal was Srinivasan couldn't convince enough of these people. When North and East Zone states couldn't guarantee full support, he had to give in. Central was always going to go against him once Madhya Pradesh association chief, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a huge voice there, asked him to step aside.”
Thakur told HT: “It is not just simply about the numbers. Initially, Srinivasan wanted the special working committee meeting to take place on June 8. I spoke to him on Friday night at around 10.30-11. I told him the meeting had to be called within the next 48 hours as the image of cricket was taking a beating and that it was not just about the numbers. Srinivasan wanted time till Saturday morning and then when we spoke, he gave in.”
{{/usCountry}}Thakur told HT: “It is not just simply about the numbers. Initially, Srinivasan wanted the special working committee meeting to take place on June 8. I spoke to him on Friday night at around 10.30-11. I told him the meeting had to be called within the next 48 hours as the image of cricket was taking a beating and that it was not just about the numbers. Srinivasan wanted time till Saturday morning and then when we spoke, he gave in.”
{{/usCountry}}BCCI vice-president, Arun Jaitley, had said: “We always wanted an amicable solution to the entire episode. We wanted to discuss the issue properly in a meeting. It was not about the numbers.”
Sunday's meeting in Chennai was initially slated to begin at 11.30 am but was pushed to 2.30 pm as some important members said they won't be able to make it.