Jay Shah, 35, is a year younger than India captain Rohit Sharma. We know little of his cricket skills or acumen. We do know a bit about his cricket knowledge, though. In a recent interview he said, “In Australia and England, every international player does not play domestic cricket.”

If they are not reacting in Australia and England, it is because Shah is getting ready to take over as Independent Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and it won’t do to upset the most powerful man in the game. Actually, he is already the most powerful, as secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and son of India’s Home Minister. As caretaker, in a sense, of the game’s treasure chest, he might be the most powerful ever — no W.G. Grace, Don Bradman or Sachin Tendulkar can match his combination of political, filial and financial heft.

Shah will be anointed on December 1 before which he has to quit as the BCCI secretary. Rohan Jaitley, another from the BJP stable of sports administrators and son of a former Minister is likely to succeed him.

Of course it is an honour for India etc., as anyone, especially players who wish to remain on the right side of authority, will tell you. Even inevitable, you might say. I mean, look at the Nadellas and Pichais and Ajay Bangas. Cricket is a billion-dollar business too, and how appropriate that it should now officially be run by the ICC in India rather than India in the ICC.

Shah’s comment came a few months after stating that top Indian players would be available for the domestic tournament. Then he changed his mind, saying, “We should not insist on players like Rohit and Virat playing in the Duleep Trophy. They will risk injury…We have to treat the players with respect.”

One-man authority

The suggestion that those who play the Duleep Trophy beginning this week are not being treated with respect may be a mischievous interpretation. But will the one-man deciding authority in the BCCI (despite its various committees) see himself as the one-man deciding authority in the ICC too? Will the chairman’s voice tolerate other voices? Will he see the ICC as an extension not just of the BCCI but of the government of India, like the BCCI itself currently is?

Cricket has much on its plate. With the domestic T20 and T10 franchises getting more powerful, private ownership might decide its future direction. In 2028, cricket re-enters the Olympics. Disney Star, who hold the rights for ICC’s global events, are apparently seeking a reduction in the $3 billion deal.

Then there is the Pakistan question. There is no sign of a thaw in relationship to suggest bilateral series with India. The ICC’s interests, at least theoretically, are ruled by cricket and not by politics. What is good for India might not be good for world cricket, and vice versa. Other Indian chairmen have used the power of Indian cricket to cut through the occasional feeble objection. N. Srinivasan is a good example. Money talks in cricket with an Indian accent.

The argument that England and Australia bullied their way through when they ran world cricket and now it’s India’s turn merely acknowledges that whoever is in charge can ride roughshod over the rest. Still, the optimists will be hoping for more discussion-based decision-making, and greater attention to the smaller countries, even if international cricket seems to be heading towards a two-tier system with six teams in each tier. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Meanwhile, there is the Duleep Trophy this week. Teams known as Team A, Team B and so on sound ridiculous, and show the extent of the cricket board’s imagination. Hopefully the new ICC will not rename the teams in international cricket in similar fashion. Somehow Virat Kohli scoring a Test century for Team A doesn’t have quite the zing.

Jay Shah is unlikely to do that. Still, at 35, he can use his limited background in cricket to advantage. Disruptors can sometimes have a positive effect. But the key word in his job title — independent chairman — is the first one.

BCCI President Roger Binny, Secretary Jay Shah and Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma during celebrations upon the team’s arrival at New Delhi airport, on July 4, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma will continue to lead India in the ODI and Test formats BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on July 7, exuding confidence that the country will win next year’s Champions Trophy and World Test Championship under his captaincy.

The 37-year-old Rohit, who became the third Indian captain after legendary Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to win a global trophy, has announced his retirement from the T20 format.

“The next stage is the WTC final and the Champions Trophy. I have full faith in Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, that we will be the champions in both these tournaments,” secretary Shah said in a video message.

The Champions Trophy, scheduled in Pakistan next year, will be held after eight years (since 2017 in UK), and even though the draft schedule has been submitted to the ICC, the BCCI hasn’t yet given its green light to it.

It is understood BCCI will again push for the ‘Hybrid Model’ like 2023 ODI Asia Cup where India played all its matches, including the ones against Pakistan, in Sri Lanka.

Shah’s message, in a way, has put to rest speculations about whether Rohit would quit leadership role in other formats.

Till Rohit calls it quits, India will once again have split captaincy with Rohit leading in ODIs and Tests while Hardik Pandya is expected to take charge of the T20 outfit. Rohit had also led India to the finals of the WTC and ODI World Cup last year, where India lost the summit clash after winning 10 straight games.

Shah dedicated India’s T20 World Cup triumph to the three cricketers, who quit the format after the title victory and outgoing coach Rahul Dravid. “I want to dedicate this victory to coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

“This was our third final in the last year. We lost the WTC final in June, 2023. In November, 2023 we won hearts after 10 wins but couldn’t win the Cup. I had said in Rajkot that we will win the heart and also the Cup on June 24 and install our national flag, and our captain installed the Indian flag,” the secretary said.

Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja are expected to comeback for the ODI series against Sri Lanka slated for August.

India will play six ODIs – three against Sri Lanka in an away series and three at home against England in early February before the Champions Trophy.

Bridgetown:

As soon as India won the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup title with a tight seven-run win over South Africa at the Kensington Oval, one couldn’t help but go back to the words BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said all the way back in February this year.

“Everybody had been waiting for my statement on the World Cup. In 2023, India did not win the World Cup after winning 10 matches straight, but we won hearts. But I want to make a promise that in 2024, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, India will win the T20 World Cup in Barbados,” Mr Shah had said ahead of the renaming of SCA Stadium in Rajkot as the Niranjan Shah Stadium before the third India-England Test happened in February.

On Saturday, Mr Shah’s words came true in front of his eyes as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah propelled India to make another stunning turnaround from the equation reading 30 runs needed off 30 balls to win by seven runs and end a 11-year trophy drought, as well as clinch their second Men’s T20 World Cup title.

When scenes of jubilation and emotion panned out after the title triumph was sealed, former India head coach Ravi Shastri made a mention of Mr Shah’s prophecy at Rajkot in February coming true in Barbados and called him ‘Nostradamus’ on air.

Coming to the match, Hardik Pandya’s 3-20 and Jasprit Bumrah’s 2-18 helped an unbeaten India to come back and clinch their second title in the shortest format. Talismanic batter Virat Kohli stepped up to end his lean run with a 59-ball 76 to help India post a competitive 176/7, the highest total in a Men’s T20 World Cup final.

His 72-run stand for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who made 47 off 31 balls, and a 57-run partnership with Shivam Dube, who hit a 16-ball 27, helped India go past 175-run mark, as they got 42 runs off the last three overs.

In reply, South Africa were very much in sight to chase down the total. But Hardik taking out Heinrich Klaasen propelled India to come back into the match and emerge victorious to end a long 11-year global trophy drought as they restricted South Africa to 169/8.

India now join West Indies and England as two-time winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup, and also gave a winning farewell to head coach Rahul Dravid. It also meant that Virat Kohli signed off from playing T20Is for India on a high with the World Cup trophy and the Player of the Match award in the final.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File photo of Rahul Dravid.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

The Indian men’s cricket team is set to get a new head coach, with incumbent Rahul Dravid having informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision to step down at the end of India’s T20 World Cup campaign in June.

Dravid is understood to have informed the BCCI hierarchy about his decision to spend time with the family even before the IPL began in March. On Monday night, the BCCI officially invited applications for the head coach’s post with May 27 set as the deadline.

Last week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, while stating that the applications for the head coach will be invited soon, had stressed Dravid “will have to re-apply” if he wants an extension. The statement came as a surprise to many in the know.

The Hindu understands that Dravid — who agreed for an extension after his contract expired at the end of the 2023 World Cup — had clarified well in advance about seeking no further extension due to personal reasons. In fact, a group of seniors in the team had requested him to consider being at the helm of the Test team at least for a year, but Dravid had made up his mind.

Had Dravid agreed, the BCCI may have considered having different coaches for limited-over and Test match set-ups. However, as stated by Shah last week, there will only be one head coach across formats and his appointment will be till the end of 2027.

Contrary to speculation and expectation, V.V.S. Laxman, the head at the National Cricket Academy, too is unlikely to enter the fray.

It may lead to the BCCI being forced to look for an overseas coach in consultation with the senior players. Feelers have been sent to a couple of IPL franchise head coaches, who have been a part of the T20 league for quite some time. So far, none of them have expressed willingness to apply for the post.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat):

Ahead of the start of the ODI World Cup in India on Thursday, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah announced that the cricket apex body in India will provide free mineral and packaged drinking water for all the fans in the stadium.

Jay Shah took to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account to announce the decision made by the BCCI and said that all the spectators at stadiums across the nation will get mineral and packaged drinking water without any cost.

Mr Shah also asked the cricket fans in the country to stay hydrated and enjoy the ODI World Cup matches.

Exciting times ahead as we anticipate the first ball of @ICC@cricketworldcup 2023 !

I am proud to announce that we’re providing FREE mineral and packaged drinking water for spectators at stadiums across India. Stay hydrated and enjoy the games!

Let’s create… pic.twitter.com/rAuIfV5fCR

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) October 5, 2023

The inaugural match of the extravagant tournament will be played on Thursday between England and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad at 2 PM IST.

Before the start of the first match of the tournament, England skipper Jos Buttler said that star English player Ben Stokes might not be included in the playing eleven since he has received a slight niggle in his hip.

Buttler also added that the decision will be taken before the start of the game, and if he fails to recover then Stokes won’t be [playing in the ODI World Cup.

“He’s got a slight sort of niggle in his hip, fingers crossed it will be good news for us. We’ll make the right call. If he’s not fit to play he’s not fit to play and if he is we can make that decision,” Buttler said as quoted by Sky Sports.

Earlier, Ben Stokes missed out on the World Cup warmup match against Bangladesh on Monday, in which England clinched a four-wicket win against Bangladesh.

However, Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue will start their ODI World Cup campaign on Sunday against Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)