Anurag Thakur’s coronation as president of Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) makes the 41-year-old BJP leader, the second-youngest president after former scion of Baroda family, Fatehsingh Rao Gaekwad, fondly known as Jackie Baroda who was just 33 years old when he took over the reins in the 60s.

Though Jackie Baroda played 28 first-class matches, Thakur has the notable distinction of playing just one Ranji Trophy match for Himachal Pradesh in 2000. But for someone who is known for his love for the game, there are many doubts over his claims of being a genuine first-class cricketer. He himself was the president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and his father, Prem Kumar Dhumal, was the chief minister when he decided to play the lone Ranji Trophy match.

According to reports, Thakur walked into the dressing room of Himachal Ranji team and calmly announced himself as captain of the game against Jammu and Kashmir in November 2000. They lost the game by 4 wickets. It is perhaps the only time ever in domestic cricket that the president of a state cricket body who was also the chairman of the selection committee selected himself not only in the team, but also as captain!! Has anyone ever heard of a captain making his debut?

With that first-class match under his belt, Thakur had qualified to become a selector at just 26 years of age. He had overcome the only eligibility criteria obstructing his path as a selector without even scoring a single run in first-class cricket. He made a seven ball duck in that match. Thakur would go on to serve as national junior selector for 3 years and the BCCI later decided to raise the bar for selectors to 25 first-class matches. The ingenuity with which Thakur had managed to evade the stringent condition still evokes grudging respect from his critics.

The three-time MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh is also accused of reducing HPCA to being his dummy when he became the driving force of an amendment in 2000. According to reports, Thakur added 25 new members who not only had voting rights, but were also permanent members in the cricket body. They would be nominated by the president- Anurag Thakur. So the electoral-college which earlier had presidents and secretaries from 12 district cricket associations numbering 24 could now be surpassed by these 25 members who would be nominated by the president. The amendment also allowed the president to nominate the executive committee shows how all powers were concentrated in the hands of one person.

The Supreme Court has been insisting on implementing the essence of Lodha committee report recommendations for reforms in BCCI. Given Thakur’s past in which he has adroitly handled such pressure situations, he seems the best bet to bail out the richest cricket body in the world. Little wonder that his elevation is being hailed by one and all, including his political rivals.