New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Thursday supported Virat Kohli’s demand for a pay hike saying that the players deserved a share of the increasing revenues of the BCCI.
“Absolutely, players should get money, why not? The board makes so much money, the players should also get it. When Virat Kohli plays, the entire country watches him,” said Ganguly.
On Thursday, Indian captain Kohli, along with MS Dhoni and head coach Ravi Shastri met members of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) head Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in Delhi. They accepted the pay hike demanded by the players and also heard from them on the issue of cramped scheduling.
Ganguly also said that the authorities should look after the players as their careers are short.
He said, “Players should be very well looked after because the (career) span is only 15 years. Not many (players) play for 15 (years), very few play for 20 (years). So, I am a big supporter of that (pay hike).”
He also added, “The BCCI does that. If you look at the way the players are looked after these days, it’s phenomenal. I have actually seen the entire circle. When I played in 1991, for the entire trip in Australia, I got paid Rs 30,000, and when I finished in 2013, I could see the drastic change. It’s in every profession.”
During their last hike, the central contracts of the players saw more than a two-fold rise with the Grade A contract holders getting ₹ 2 crore annually.
Ganguly also said that if Kohli wanted to sort out the FTP issue with the Indian board, it would be done. Some time back, Kohli had complained that the Indian team wasn’t able to get adequate time for preparing for the South Africa tour because of cramped scheduling. The Kohli led team is slated to leave for South Africa on December 27, two days after their home series against Sri Lanka comes to an end.
Ganguly said, “Virat is the captain, if he sorts the issue out, it will get done. I don’t see much problem there. Before going on tours, I think they should clear it out. It isn’t difficult to sit down and talk about this and clear things.”
“All the players are playing well. They are all hitting centuries. Virat is in top form, so it’s okay, let them play,” he also added.