Each captain has a different way of operating, says BCCI chief Binny

BCCI President Roger Binny on Friday refused to compare the captaincy of current skipper Rohit Sharma with the likes of Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying each one of them had a different way of leading the national team.

“Rohit is an experienced player. He has played so many matches and been in so many situations. Everyone has a different approach. Dhoni is totally different, you can’t compare him, Kapil or Gavaskar. Each one has a different way of how they operate,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 90th annual day of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association here, the former India cricketer said if the openers provided a strong start there was a better chance of the team winning matches.

“The powerplay is one of the important areas. I think the openers have to give us a strong start. If we get that good start, there’s a better chance of winning. Any team is comfortable chasing, they are not happy to bat first.

“Most teams prefer to chase down the total because the wickets are such, it keeps getting slower and slower as the game goes on,” Binny said in response to a query on what the batters’ approach should be during the powerplay.

With regard to a number of Indian players like ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah suffering injuries in recent times, he said, “We just want to find out why they are getting injured. What the reason is. We can’t stop it. We need to find out whether it’s overload, if players are not fit, and if their exercise needs to be changed.

“A lot of players are getting injured during training. It’s not a good thing,” he added.

On the IPL for women that is scheduled to begin from next year, Binny, who recently took over as the BCCI chief, said, “Everything was in place and they needed to conduct the auction.

“Even the franchises have also come. Now, we just got to sit and finally do the auction. The thought process is we will have five foreigners instead of four. That will be the extra addition into the IPL. We have not yet finalised…it will be done in January,” he added.

To a question on Indian teams doing well in ICC events over the years but not being able to win them, Binny said they (teams) have done well, reaching quarterfinals and semifinals.

“I hope it is an exception (the team going on to win the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia. We have been close…have reached the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. In T20 cricket, we have to be good on the given day…,” he added.

About the possibility of India touring Pakistan in future, he said, “The BCCI had no say on the matter and it was up to the government.”

Speaking at the function earlier, Binny lauded the TNCA for providing quality infrastructure and facilities to cricketers and said it was probably the best-run association in the country.

He gave away awards to players who shone at various levels.