Sourav Ganguly, who is expected to enter administration at some point, feels that Dilip Vengsarkar’s loss in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) elections won’t discourage former cricketers from having a shot at running the sport.

Vengsarkar, a one-time India captain and chief selector, lost to Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in a straight fight for the president’s post.

Backed by outgoing president Sharad Pawar, a colleague in the Manmohan Singh cabinet, Deshmukh polled an impressive 182 votes to Vengsarkar’s 135.

“I wasn’t following the MCA elections very closely, so I wouldn’t like to make a specific comment. However, Dilip’s defeat shouldn’t really have a bearing on other former cricketers having a go,” Sourav told The Telegraph.

Speaking in between shoots of his hit Ke Hobe Banglar Kotipati (the petite Rani Mukherji features in the 50th and last episode), at a suburban studio, on Saturday afternoon, Sourav added: “Last year, Anil Kumble won in Karnataka, beating a politician, so it’s not that all one-time cricketers have ended up losing.”

Kumble, a former captain like Vengsarkar and Sourav, ended the reign of Mysore royal and four-time MP Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar.

Asked when he planned to turn administrator, Sourav laughed and replied: “There’s no hurry… I can get into administration at any time, but I can’t keep playing forever… Right now, then, I intend playing for another season and will take a call after the 2012 IPL…”

Sourav turned 39 this month.

Getting back to Vengsarkar, not only did he lose, but all his other candidates as well, except the three who made it to the influential managing committee.

One in that trio is one-time India ’keeper Chandrakant Pandit, the lone former cricketer to make it in Friday’s elections.

Odd considering that the MCA has always talked of Mumbai being the home of cricket in India.

With Pawar going all out to defeat Vengsarkar, who actually worked with him in the MCA for years, the odds were against the blunt-speaking 55-year-old with over 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs.

It’s widely believed that the open support from the Shiv Sena cost Vengsarkar a decent number of votes. Apparently, a section of the non-Maharashtrian voters got put off.

In fact, back on July 3, this newspaper had reported that the Sena’s backing may just backfire.

While Vengsarkar has ended up as the biggest loser, independent Vijay Patil (best known for his association with the very impressive D.Y. Patil Stadium) emerged the biggest winner.

Among others, Patil defeated the Pawar-supported BJP councillor, Ashish Shelar, in a multi-cornered contest for the two vice-presidents’ posts.

Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, the Board’s chief administrative officer, will serve as the other vice-president for two years.

Courtesy:The Telegraph