Clinical bowler, record-setting batsman: BCCI's next president Roger Binny

Binny was a part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup and was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament taking 18 wickets in total

Roger Binny will succeed Sourav Ganguly as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). According to media reports, the 67-year-old is set to be elected unanimously for the post when the elections take place on October 18.

Who is Roger Binny?

Roger Binny was an allrounder who played for the Indian cricket team between 1979 and 1987. He played 27 test matches and 72 ODIs for the team.

Binny was a part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup. He was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament taking 18 wickets in total.

Born on July 19, 1955, in Bangalore, Binny made his debut for the Indian team in a test match against Pakistan at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on November 21, 1979. He played his first ODI against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 6, 1980.

Binny was also a part of the team that won the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia. He was an integral part of the team and took 17 wickets in the tournament.

His performances were not limited to bowling. Binny first stepped into the limelight in 1977-78 when he scored 211 runs for Karnataka against Kerala. He and Sanjay Desai scored an unbeaten partnership of 451 runs for the first wicket. It is still the highest opening stand in first-class cricket. 

In 1983 at Bangalore, along with Madan Lal, Binny had a partnership of 155 runs against Pakistan.

However, he is best known for his bowling performances.

In 1979, in his third test match against Pakistan, Binny dismissed Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad early in the first innings. The Indian team eventually went on to win the game by 131 runs.

In another such incident in 1983 against West Indies, Binny dismissed Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Vivian Richards for single-digit scores. India could not win the match, but Binny's spell was among the highlights of his career.

In 1986, Binny's spell of 7 wickets for 58 runs against England allowed India to make an unassailable 2-0 lead in a 3-match series. His best was yet to come.

In 1987, Binny picked up six wickets for 56 runs against Pakistan at Eden Gardens. In the first innings, he took four wickets, conceding only nine runs.

He was the coach of the Indian under-19 team that won the World Cup in 2000. Binny became the coach of Bengal in 2012 and later the Karnataka State Cricket Association administrator. Since 2012, he has been on the national selection committee for the Indian team.