All-rounder, on and off the field • President of the Orissa Cricket Association, 41-year-old Ranjib Biswal is the man who “managed” the victorious Team India in the cricket World Cup, 2011. • Biswal completed his graduation in sociology from BJB College, Bhubaneswar, and master's degree in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He joined Steel Authority of India Limited (Sail) in 1993 as manager and quit the job in 1996. • Biswal has played for Orissa between 1983 and 1997. He has represented the country in the under-19 matches and led the team against Pakistan in four Test matches. He was captain of the India junior team in the Youth Asia Cup. • After quitting domestic cricket in 1997, Biswal became an administrator and was made a member of the selection committee of the East Zone in 2005. He has been manager of the Indian cricket team on several occasions. • He is the son of late Basant Kumar Biswal, who came to be known as “super CM” in the early 80s when J.B. Patnaik was the chief minister of Orissa. He entered politics in 1996 and was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha and re-elected for another term two years later. At present, he is an active member of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee. • As the editor of a local vernacular daily, the cricketer-turned-politician-cum-cricket administrator has established himself as a genuine all-rounder off the field as well.

You were the hot favourite candidate for the secretary’s post in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But you lost to the outgoing BCCI joint secretary, Sanjay Jagdale, who was never in contention and emerged from nowhere barely 48 hours before filing of nominations. What do you think was the reason for your defeat?

I never lobbied for the secretary’s post. But then a lot of equations were at play. It was the media that projected me as the hot favourite. Though things turned out differently, it does not mean that it is the end of opportunities for me.

Were you not disappointed?

I am not disheartened and there are no hard feelings. Sanjay is a friend of mine and has been a good cricket administrator. I felt happy that my name was at least discussed for the coveted position.

Are you then content with your appointment as the vice-chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA)?

It is definitely going to be a challenging task. The purpose is to train budding talents, who have the potential of playing in the national team and to address the problems of cricketers. I share a good equation with Anil Kumble (former cricketer and NCA chairman). Both of us will work together towards the goal.

Don’t you think Orissa would have gained a lot in terms of better opportunities at the national and international levels had you become the BCCI secretary?

Selection of players is different from administration. If I had become the secretary, I would have had nothing to do with the selection process. The Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) shares a very good rapport with the BCCI. In fact, now that I have lost out in the secretary appointment, I feel the BCCI would be more sympathetic towards Orissa players.

The first edition of the Orissa Premier League (OPL) concluded on a high note. However, the vigilance sleuths came up with evidence that illegal money from the multi-crore mining scam was invested in the OPL. Hasn’t this maligned the reputation of the OCA, which organised the T20 tournament?

Vigilance cases have been registered against franchise owners, not the OCA. As far as we are concerned, we conducted a fair and transparent bidding process. Whenever we dealt with money, it was through cheques and drafts. The OCA can neither control the franchisees’ money nor know about the source from where it comes. The vigilance department has to find that out. However, we would see to it that the future tournaments remain clean at all levels.

Any plans to boost women’s cricket in the state?

Women’s cricket, as such, has not picked up the way we had wanted it to - this is a countrywide trend. Orissa being a conservative state, most people do not allow their daughters to take up cricket as a career.

You have played international cricket. Several cricketers and experts feel that the T20 format affects the longevity of players. Have you thought of organising more Test matches than the 20-overs-a-side games to create more technically sound players?

We are introducing changes in the Kalahandi Cup tournament by converting the 50-overs game to a day’s match. Our focus is on identifying 30 to 35 players, who are best in their respective cricket formats, be it Tests, ODIs or T20s.

What do you feel about Sachin Tendulkar’s proposal to change the ODI format into a four innings 25-overs-game instead of the current 50-over format?

There is a lot of debate on this issue. Everyday new rules are being added to make ODIs more interesting. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is the final authority to take a decision in this regard.

As a former manager of the Indian cricket team, do you agree with Sourav Ganguly that national selectors must not force senior players to retire?

I fully endorse Sourav’s view. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have played enough cricket and done great service to the country. Seniors deserve an honourable exit. It is up to the players when and how to retire from the game.

Coming to politics, where do you see yourself headed at this juncture?

So far, my political career has been a mixed bag of success and failures. I have had my share of achievements as well as setbacks. Politics is a challenge and there are a whole lot of opportunities.

You lost the last Lok Sabha elections. Would you contest for the next polls?

If my party wants me to, I will definitely contest elections.

You belong to the Opposition (Congress party). Do you get along with chief minister Naveen Patnaik?

I meet him on and off for cricketing business. I convey my wishes to him on special occasions. This political rivalry should not be taken in a wrong sense. We are all Oriyas and if I have ideas that would help in development of the state, I would definitely share those with him.

What would you have been had you not been a cricketer and a politician?

Since childhood, I wanted to be associated with social work. When I was about 10 years old, I was inspired by my elder brother (Chiranjib Biswal, former MLA from Tirtol) to take up cricket. We used to stay in Cuttack and went to a nearby playground and played with other boys. Gradually, I was attracted to cricket and started taking it seriously. Politics happened because a good friend of mine from Delhi asked me to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket. When I told my father, he laughed it off because I was just 25 then. But that year, I became a Member of Parliament.