Sunil Gavaskar has called on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to tap into the experience of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and other former India greats by expanding the scope of its Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
The former India Captain believes the CAC could move beyond its existing responsibilities around appointments and become involved in a broader range of cricketing matters, including domestic and international fixtures. His proposal would bring prominent former players into a more substantial advisory structure alongside the BCCI’s President and Secretary.
Gavaskar proposes a bigger role for the CAC
The CAC has primarily been associated with the selection of coaches and selectors, but Gavaskar sees an opportunity to create a body with influence across a wider range of decisions affecting Indian cricket.
Writing in his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar outlined the scale of the change he would like to see: “There are, no longer, any committees in BCCI today apart from the selection committees and the CAC. Perhaps the time has come to expand the CAC and its brief of selecting the selectors and coach and also look at fixtures – domestic and international and all things related to Indian cricket. There are some incredibly experienced former cricketers whose expertise can be utilised to be on this committee. How about names like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag – to name a few? The President and Secretary will be there too.”
The proposed group would therefore combine the BCCI’s senior leadership with former players whose careers span different generations of Indian cricket. Alongside Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, Gavaskar identified Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag as potential contributors.
Experience could extend across Indian cricket
Gavaskar’s proposal is not limited to adding former players to an existing committee. It would significantly widen the areas in which their experience could be deployed, potentially connecting the CAC more closely with the people responsible for the national team and player development.
The idea follows Gavaskar’s recent criticism of aspects of India’s domestic structure. After East Zone secured the Duleep Trophy on the basis of a first-innings lead, he questioned a system that can reduce the incentive to pursue outright victories and argued that first-class cricket should encourage teams to develop the ability to take 20 wickets.
Gavaskar has previously had a formal role in shaping domestic cricket as Chairman of the BCCI Technical Committee. During that period, changes included moving away from the zonal Ranji Trophy structure towards Elite and Plate competitions and adjusting the points system to place greater emphasis on outright victories.
Gavaskar also calls for women’s cricket committee
Under his proposed structure, an expanded committee would also engage directly with key figures responsible for the direction of Indian cricket. Gavaskar added: “When this committee interacts with the coach and captain and the head of the NCA, it carries a heft beyond measure. A similar committee for women’s cricket too, where experience and expertise meet to take calls to take Indian cricket forward.”
That would extend the concept beyond the men’s game, with Gavaskar advocating a comparable mechanism through which experience could be brought into decision-making for women’s cricket.
Whether the BCCI will consider such an expansion remains uncertain. Gavaskar concluded: “Just thinking about this gives one the goosebumps. Will it ever happen or is it just a dream?”
For now, the proposal remains Gavaskar’s vision rather than a confirmed BCCI initiative, but it sets out a substantially broader role for former India players in the structures surrounding the country’s cricket administration.
