Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar hopes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly would be five times more successful as Board chief than he had been as interim head.

“I wish Sourav all the best. There was another former India captain before him with the same initials who was the BCCI president for two-and-a-half months, which was considered successful. I am hoping that he (Sourav) will be five times more successful than that SG,” Gavaskar said at an event at Measurers Club on Thursday.

Gavaskar served as an interim president for a short period in 2014.

Asked about the pink-ball Test between India and Bangladesh beginning on Friday at the Eden, Gavaskar said: “I never played with the pink ball. This is something new for Indian cricket and world cricket as well.

“This is exciting for India. Even I have come wearing pink in this programme.”

Gavaskar, meanwhile, was given a lifetime membership by Measurers Club.

Sourav, too, is obviously looking forward to the pink-ball Test. In a video posted on his Twitter handle, he wrote: “Well BCCI and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)... look forward to 5 days @JayShah.”

“All the arrangements are done for the historic match. Hope the contest would be an exciting one,” Sourav told reporters later in the evening.

“I have seen the pitch and it’s looks good. It will be sporting and I hope everybody will get help from the wicket,” he added.

“Hope the first-ever pink-ball Test in India would be very exciting and successful,” CAB secretary Avishek Dalmiya said.

“We wish both teams the best and hope the crowd enjoys each and every moment of the game,” vice-president Naresh Ojha said.