No going back for Sandeep Patil in MCA elections

Mumbai Cricket Group`s Sandeep Patil (extreme right) along with Milind Rege and Prof Ratnakar Shetty at the Matunga Gymkhana on Monday. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Hours after news emerged that he was no longer a candidate to stand for the Mumbai Cricket Association elections (October 20) from the newly-formed Sharad Pawar-Ashish Shelar group, India's 1983 World Cup-winning team member and former India coach Sandeep Patil, told voters at the Matunga Gymkhana that there was "no going back" despite the latest development.

"My team is not here because of my name. It's a team to work. I don't believe only in speaking. I would like to work more," said Patil.

The former Mumbai captain filed his nomination for the president's post on Saturday as part of the Sharad Pawar group. But on Monday, a new group called the Pawar-Shelar group was floated much to the astonishment of the Mumbai cricketing fraternity. After all, it was believed that it was Pawar who urged Patil to join the fray as he wanted a cricketer to head the MCA.

Also Read: New twist in MCA elections as Shelar files for top post

If victorious, Patil will be the first Test cricketer to be president of the MCA since Madhav Mantri in the 1980s. Former captains Ajit Wadekar and Dilip Vengsarkar attempted to be presidents but lost to Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh in 2000 and 2011 respectively.

Ex-BCCI administrator and former MCA secretary hailed Patil's gutsy attitude in the face of opposition from BJP Mumbai head Ashish Shelar. "This team is led by a stalwart--Sandeep Patil. I liked it when he said, ‘whatever happens, I will contest this election,' " said Shetty, a seasoned cricket administrator, who also served the BCCI.

Meanwhile, Patil's former Ranji Trophy captain Milind Rege remarked: "Please help this group [their new Mumbai Cricket Group]

which is sincere, loyal, humble and have only the interest of cricket of Mumbai at heart."

Meanwhile, Ajinkya Naik and Gaurav Payyade, who were all set to contest for the post of Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively from the Sharad Pawar group, found their names in the newly-formed Pawar-Shelar group as candidates for Secretary and Apex Council member respectively. Both were shocked to see this development.