Calcutta: On a day of massive surprises, Narayanswami Srinivasan declined to be considered as a nominee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the upcoming meeting of the International Cricket Council's executive board.
Following a conference call at 4.00 pm on Sunday, featuring the Board's affiliates, it was decided that the names of Srinivasan, Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke be added to those of joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry.
The names would now be taken up by the Supreme Court, on Monday, with one of them selected for the February 2-5 meeting in Dubai.
For the record, the Supreme Court sought only three names.
According to well-placed sources of The Telegraph, Srinivasan cited "personal reasons" and refused to come into the picture.
Obviously, Srinivasan understood the implications and a possible backlash from different quarters.
Post the conference call and Srinivasan's non-availability, the Board's senior counsel, Arvind Datar, would place four names and not five before the Supreme Court.
Believe it or not, Srinivasan's name was proposed by Anurag's brother Arun, an office-bearer of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, which has been Anurag's territory for years.
Anurag and Srinivasan have, after all, not been on the same page for quite some time. But, then, anything is possible in the Board.
Neither is anybody a permanent foe nor a friend for life.
Both Anurag and Shirke were removed by the Supreme Court on January 2 as Board president and secretary, respectively, so their names may not be taken to very kindly by the three-judge bench.
That Anurag and Shirke's names are also being placed before the Supreme Court is yet another massive surprise which emerged out of the nearly hour-long conference call.
At least one president of an affiliated unit did, however, make the point that the Board shouldn't take any step resulting in the Supreme Court giving the institution a "tight slap."
Well, the response would be known not many hours from now.
The conference call, one learns, had been initiated by Amitabh.
