Don't try to take advantage of BCCI's current mess: Shastri

NEW DELHI: A few nations are making a big mistake by trying to take advantage of the current mess that Indian Cricket Board is in, warned former captain Ravi Shastri, who also advised the BCCI to demand every penny it deserves from the ICC for being the biggest revenue generator. Shastri, who served as Team Director of the Indian team before Anil Kumble took over, warned certain cricket boards that this "institution is here to stay." "My warning to such people is: beware... This state of flux will not last for long. BCCI will be back where they belong very very soon. And that is why it is important that the BCCI stresses on the issues at hand," Shastri told website Cricbuzz in an interview without taking any names. His apparent reference is it to England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. BCCI is undergoing sweeping changes due to Supreme Committee appointed Lodha Committee's recommendations, resulting in the removal of President Anurag Thakur and others. Shastri also backed BCCI to demand a large chunk of revenue from the ICC since without India, it will be extremely difficult to raise such profits. "I was very pleased that the committee that went to Dubai for the ICC meeting really took up the issue with the ICC board. [Vikram] Limaye, Anirudh [Chaudhry] and Amitabh [Choudhary] - I'm glad they made the BCCI's reservations very clear. In my mind, India deserve every penny that they get from ICC tournaments, simply because they are the Pied Pipers of world cricket," he stressed. "Something like 80% of revenues for these tournaments come from India. Then to say that India is the bully, because they are asking for extra share, is the biggest load of bullshit I've heard. I say this because the BCCI is not asking for 80%, they're asking for a much lower percentage. They have every right to. You take India out of the equation, I'd like to see what kind of revenue will be left. " Shastri lauded Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for supporting BCCI and was surprised and disappointed that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe went the other way. Shastri said he was not saying all this because he benefits financially from the BCCI. "That's bul****. I've worked all around the world. If I am something today it is because of the opportunities the BCCI gave me, but not as a commentator. It is what the BCCI did for me as a player, a cricketer, people should get that clear in their minds. That is the most important role of a cricket board."