Don't want anyone to say cricketers can play only on pitch: Ganguly on becoming BCCI president

After becoming the 39th president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that when his term finishes as the chief, he does not want anyone to say that cricketers can only play on pitch and cannot have successful administrative roles.

His remarks came during a ceremony by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) felicitating him on his new appointment.

"When my term finishes, I do not want anyone to say cricketers can only play on the pitch, that they cannot run the administration. During my stint as the CAB president, I can proudly say that I did not endure any resistance. With me becoming BCCI president, you will get credibility from the board," Ganguly said during the ceremony.

He also said that he did not expect he would become the BCCI president and added that he would do the job to the best of his abilities.

"For me, it is really really special. When I started playing cricket, I never thought that I would lead India one day, but it happened. Then president of CAB and now the president of BCCI. Sometimes I pinch myself to ask are you really that good? I did not expect to become BCCI president, but it has happened," Ganguly said.

"What stands out for me is that I have been able to convince people that I am good enough. Whatever I get to do, I will give it my best. I will do what my heart says and what is best for Indian cricket. When I became skipper of India, it was a difficult time for us in the sport and now when I have become BCCI president, it is a bit of a difficult time for Indian cricket. It is nice to see that whenever times are difficult, my name floats up from somewhere," he added.

Ganguly was elected as president on Wednesday during a general body meeting at the BCCI headquarters. He was the only candidate to file his nomination for the post and was elected unopposed.

The 47-year-old was also a part of the selection meeting on Thursday and he held talks with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to pick the squad for the upcoming T20I and Test series against Bangladesh.

He had led India to 21 Test wins and the final of the 2003 World Cup and he has already been an administrator for the Cricket Association of Bengal.

The southpaw also served in BCCI's technical committee and was also a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee along with Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Ganguly called time on his international career in 2008. He scored more than 18,000 international runs.