binny: Roger Binny, It’s the 1983 Remix!

For those of a certain vintage, the reported news of Roger Binny becoming the next Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president brings special and fond tidings. The fact that in an age perhaps more familiar with Stuart Binny, his father Roger is slated to be chief BCCI man warms the cockles of many a heart familiar with the former India cricketer for his show as a player at the 1983 World Cup. Binny, a key member in that first World Cup-winning squad under Kapil Dev, will be taking over from Sourav Ganguly, one of India’s most successful captains and versatile batsmen. But for nostalgists, Binny the cricketer, watched over (overwhelmingly) B&W Doordarshan, becoming BCCI president has to be some sort of validation that, like in music, so in sports administration, the 1980s is making a remixed return.

The 67-year-old Binny, in his more-salt, less-pepper moustache and looking a bit like Richard Hadlee, was the 28-year- old heavy-bottomed (very) medium pace swing-bowler with a ‘hurling’ delivery – a bowling action that stayed with him from his earlier javelin-throwing years. But, with fellow medium pacer Madan Lal, he was key to the squad, picking up the highest number of wickets in the 1983 World Cup. His ‘job’ was to take the shine off later pace bowlers. Now, it seems it’s his job to take the shine off an earlier BCCI chief.