Turning the heat on the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), BCCI President
Sharad Pawar said the Board would announce its own Twenty20 plans in the
next 10-15 days.
Pawar, who watched India beat England in the fifth one dayer here
at Headingley yesterday, derided ICL, calling it a "purely commercial proposition"
and said the Board would soon make its own Twenty20 plans public.
"The BCCI has been working for the past two years on this
tournament that will involve current players, newcomers, retired players and
foreign players. We will be announcing our plans in the next 10-15 days,"
he said.
Pawar also dismissed ICL as an outright business venture and
dismissed any potential threats from the breakaway league.
"We don't see any threat from the ICL," he asserted,
adding "The ICL is a purely commercial proposition. It doesn't do what
the BCCI does for cricket at all levels in India." The BCCI chief also
repeated the warning to defecting players that joining ICL would close the Team
India door for them.
"The players associated with the BCCI have to choose in which direction
they want to go," he said.
Happy with the way Team India is performing in absence of a permanent coach,
Pawar said the Board was not in a hurry to fill the void left by Greg Chappell,
especially with bowling and fielding coach Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh
doing a decent job.
"Our experience with the present team of two coaches, one for fielding
and one for bowling, together with the senior players is that it has delivered
good results and we are happy with that," he said.
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