MUMBAI: Saba Karim and Tufan Ghosh assumed office Tuesday as BCCI’s GM Cricket Operations and NCA chief operating officer respectively.
Both Karim and Ghosh will report to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and will be based out of Mumbai and Bengaluru respectively.
While Karim will assist Johri in meeting the board’s vision and strategy, Ghosh will play a key role in setting up the facility and creating a Centre of Excellence at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The BCCI had invited applications for the role of GM Cricket Operations after late MV Sridhar resigned from his post last September. The board wanted an individual who was highly motivated and can lead the cricket operations and manage domestic cricket for the board – all qualities easily associated with former India wicketkeeper Karim.
Karim brings with him a vast knowledge of the game and its intricacies, at the top as well as at domestic level. In a career spanning over nearly two decades, he represented the country in one Test and 34 ODIs. He also has 120 first-class and 124 List ‘A’ caps to his name. Karim was a prolific run-getter with a first-class average of 56.66. He amassed over 7000 runs, including 22 centuries and 33 half-tons, during his time with Bihar and Bengal.
The NCA, meanwhile, has been a second home for most cricketers across all age groups. Players regularly visit the NCA targeting skill enhancement, training, strength conditioning, fitness assessment and recuperation. Be it pre-season or ahead of an important tour, the NCA regularly hosts camps for national teams, including the women’s teams.
Ghosh comes in with experience of 29 years in the healthcare and hospitality industry. He was the CEO of Columbia Asia in 2005 and looked after operations right from the time the group’s first hospital came into existence. He was instrumental in setting up the organization and its services from scratch. He has developed and has been responsible for establishing the Columbia Asia brand in India. He later switched to a company involved in developing world-class retirement communities for senior citizens across India.
