Sourav Ganguly: I don’t need to answer anyone

From COVID19 disruptions to allegations that he has tried to influence selectors to criticism that not enough has been done for womenrsquos cricket during his tenure Sourav Ganguly has endured a challenging 26 months as BCCI PresidentBut in an exclusive interview with PTI the former India captain not just rejected the accusations thrown at himbut also offered a gentle reminder to his criticsmdashmuch before becoming the BCCI boss he was a celebrated India cricketer and played in a whopping 424 international matches 113 of them TestsSteering clear of the drama surrounding the end of Virat Kohlirsquos captaincy tenure Ganguly answered questions on other sensitive issues like the still awaited decision on Indiarsquos new Test captain and start of the Womenrsquos IPLHe also disclosed that the IndiaWest Indies T20Is in Kolkata this month will be a ldquocloseddoorrdquo affair and laughed when told about speculation of a possible rift with Board secretary Jay ShahEdited excerptsThere have been allegations that you have been influencing the selection committee and you sit in the meetings to put pressure on the selectorsI donrsquot think I need to answer anybody anything on this and dignify any of these baseless accusations I am the president of BCCI and I do the job of what the president of BCCI should be doing Also just to let you know I see a picture doing the rounds of social media showing me sitting in a selection committee meetingI want to make it clear that picture where Ganguly can be seen sitting with secretary Jay Shah skipper Virat Kohli and joint secretary Jayesh George wasnrsquot from a selection committee meeting Jayesh George isnrsquot a part of selection committee meetings I have played 424 international matches for India Not a bad idea at times to remind people about it isnrsquot it laughsHow has been your working relationship with Jay Shah in the last 26 months in the Indian cricket boardI share a fantastic relationship with Jay He is a very dear friend and a trusted colleague Me Jay Arun Dhumal and Jayesh we have all been working together to get the board going in these difficult times especially with COVID19 in these two years To make sure that cricket happens I would say it has been a fantastic two years We have all done it as a teamWhat kind of a new Test captain are you looking at after Kohlirsquos decision to step downObviously there are certain parameters of leadership and whoever fits the bill will be the next Indian Test captain I believe selectors will have a name in mind and they will discuss it with officebearersmdashPresident and Secretarymdashand it will be announced in due course of timeWhy isnrsquot BCCI starting the womenrsquos IPL straightaway Why again a T20 Challenge when a state unit like CAB is having a six team 90player womenrsquos T20 club meetWe are at the level of formulation to have a fullfledged WIPL It is certainly going to happen I strongly believe that next year ie 2023 will be a very good time to start a fullfledged womenrsquos IPL which will be as big and grand a success as menrsquos IPLIPL is being held in India hopefully How big a relief will that beWell as BCCI has always maintained that this is the Indian Premier League and we would ideally want to hold it in India Yes we havenrsquot yet officially announced as we are still tracking the COVID19 situation in the country Yes we would finalise the venues in some time The plan is very much to hold it in India and we are preparing accordinglyThe state government has allowed 75 per cent spectators at the Eden Gardens for the three T20Is But isnrsquot BCCI wary given Motera is having closeddoor ODIsLet me put this on record We are not allowing spectators at the Eden Gardens for the three T20 Internationals There will not be any tickets for general public The only people allowed are CAB officials and representatives of the various units In these times we canrsquot risk the health of the players by allowing spectators