Former Hyderabad captain and BCCI's newly appointed General Manager (Cricket Operations) M V Sridhar today said that he has "enough credentials to serve Indian cricket" and is ready to take up this new challenge despite a section in BCCI questioning his appointment.
Asked about a section referring to his appointment as a reward for being one of the proposers for President N Srinivasan during the nomination process, the veteran of 97 first-class matches told PTI, "I have nothing to say if people question my appointment and credentials. My first-class record as a cricketer (6701 runs @48.91 with 21 hundreds) is there for everybody to see. I was very much present at the AGM where my name was announced. So I feel sorry for those who are questioning my credentials."
On the reward part, the soft-spoken Hyderabadi answered, "I guess Mr Srinivasan offered me a job... Not an IPL team!"
Having played first-class cricket for more than a decade and worked in various capacities as an administrator will certainly help Sridhar ease into his new role.
"This is a new challenge but I am ready for it. I have played cricket at a certain level and with whatever little expertise I have, I would like to bring it into use. I have been working in a top position in an HR department of a corporate company for the past 15 years. I have been a manager of the Indian cricket team on three tours. I have been a joint secretary of HCA for six years and now a secretary. I feel that's good enough credentials for this post."
Sridhar also was categorical in stating that all the six south zone units were firmly behind Srinivasan.
"Let me tell you that we (south zone units) were all united in our support for Mr Srinivasan. Each and every unit of south backed his nomination."
Sridhar, who boasts of a highest first-class score of 366, will now have to juggle between his home city Hyderabad and BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
"In this age, how much time does it take to shuttle between two cities? There are some finer details that needs to be worked out by the end of this week. Also I have to check whether I can continue as the secretary of the Hyderabad CA. These are little aspects that needs to be checked.
