How my dad discovered the talented schoolboy who went on to become a cricket legend and new BCCI chief Roger Binny

The cricket body looks poised to enter a new glorious chapter under the legendary cricketer

By Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Tue 18 Oct 2022, 9:50 PM

Last updated: Wed 19 Oct 2022, 4:45 PM

Growing up with a father who was a sports journalist guaranteed an everyday adventure. I learned a lot during the journey we had together.

Watching my dad covering cricket matches at the Karnataka State Cricket Association or commentating for All India Radio on the State Athletic Championships at the Kanteerava Stadium taught me to think like a journalist at a very young age.

Through him, I was exposed to a variety of sports and I learned about several greats of Indian sports – Kenny Powell, the sprint king, hockey wizard Jude Felix and Roger Binny, who was making big waves in school’s cricket.

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When my Dad, who was the long-serving Sports Editor of the Deccan Herald in Bangalore, passed away he left behind a legacy and stories told and untold.

One of which included discovering a young Roger from St. Germain’s High School in Bangalore, and helping highlight his talent through his weekly column, Straight From The Shoulder.

Roger (middle) was also an expectational athlete in his schooldays.

Wherever my dad is today, I’m sure he must be a happy man, knowing that Roger has reached the pinnacle of his career with his appointment to the coveted position of President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Roger also made history of sorts as the first Anglo-Indian (people of mixed ancestry) to take up the role. He was following up on his notable appointment as an Indian cricket selector and President of the KSCA.

I too closely followed Roger’s blooming career from State hockey player and javelin throw record breaker to World Cup-winning cricketer and affluent sports administrator.

In the old days in Bangalore, a small hamlet of friendly people and breathtaking greener, everybody knew each other.

By the time he had decided that cricket was his calling, Roger was a rapidly emerging local celebrity. When you drove past the Binny family home in Benson Town, you always told your companion that ‘this is where Roger lives.’ That’s how well-known he was.

The new BCCI chief seen with former Indian cricketer Sandeep Patil (sitting) and other cricket stars during a school event.

It was well documented that, even at a young age, Roger was prepared to move heaven and earth to get what he wanted in life. He stopped for nothing, scarifying his spare time to refine his cricketing skills. He would wake up up each day at 5 am to practice batting, hitting a cricket ball wrapped in an old sock and hanging from a tree in his garden on Bore Bank Road, adjacent to the railway lines that cut through the city.

For most of his youth, Roger was coached by the legendary Keki Tarapore, who was responsible for also teaching some of Karnataka’s top players including Syed Kirmani and Rahul Dravid.

Keki, who was never seen with his trademark wide-brimmed white cricket hard, poured countless hours into coaching his kids, including Roger. He taught them everything he knew.

It’s incredibly hard work being a coach but a very rewarding job when you discover that all the knowledge, skills, wisdom, and inspiration that you impart to the student impacts their lives, as it has in the case of Roger Binny.

Roger at the celebration of former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad's 70th birthday. Also in the photo are Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Yajuvendra Singh, Bharath Reddy and Karsan Ghavri.

Keki always said that Roger was one of his brightest students and most exciting prospects and was not wrong.

With the support and encouragement he got from his six brothers, he began to forge a career for himself, first as a successful State cricketer and then when he broke into an Indian side rich in talent and which was led by the mercurial Kapil Dev, under whose captaincy India won the 1983 World Cup in England.

Roger played a significant role in that tournament emerging as the most successful bowler with 18 wickets, including a prize scalp of West Indies captain Clive Lloyd in an epic final.

The Binny family held a special screening of the film, '83', which celebrates India's epic World Cup victory in England, where Roger played a crucial role.

Following his retirement from international cricket in 987 Roger would spend more time with his passion for nature and wildlife and even became a member of the planet's leading conservation organisastion, the World Wildlife Fund.

He got himself, his wife Cynthia, and three children, Lisa, Laura, and Stuart, a farm in Old Baiyyappanahalli, where he grows vegetables and fruits.

Roger, whose father, Terrence Binny was a Bangalore Derby-winning trainer, is also a keen animal lover and travels the world visiting onservations in South Africa and Africa.

Given the fact that he is a person of multiple interests and passions, and unquestionable leadership qualities and ambition, the BCCI looks poised to enter a new glorious chapter under his command.