Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the critics of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, claiming they are not giving him credit due to their “political agenda”. Gavaskar says Shah has taken significant steps towards the growth of Indian cricket including equal pay for men’s and women’s cricket, launching Women’s Premier League among others.
Shah began his career in cricket administration with the Gujarat Cricket Association before joining BCCI in 2015 and he was eventually elected as board secretary in 2019.
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Gavaskar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batters to have played the game, believes that Shah is unfairly targeted because he’s the son of India’s home minister Amit Shah.
He says the current BCCI leadership has done an ‘outstanding’ job.
“Look, I think the quality of governance has always been such that they’ve aimed to promote Indian cricket,” Gavaskar told India Today. “There will always be the occasional individual who might be a bit disappointing. But I think what the current leadership has done is quite outstanding.”
“Many people criticize Jay Shah, focusing on his father’s political position rather than his contributions. However, what Jay Shah has achieved—like bringing in the Women’s Premier League, ensuring equal pay for the Women’s team as the Men’s, increasing fees for IPL players, and significantly boosting incentives—is commendable. Unfortunately, some refuse to give him credit due to a political agenda,” he added.
Gavaskar went on to claim that it’s not always ideal that former cricketers be appointed to run the daily affairs of the BCCI. He says it’s a job for the experts.
“From my experience, those who genuinely love cricket often do more for Indian cricket than those who have played it. This might be surprising, but people who are passionate about the game, even if they haven’t played at the highest level, tend to contribute more effectively when guided properly. Conversely, some former players sometimes remain fixated on their era, resisting changes that benefit the current generation,” he said.
“So, I believe that while former cricketers are invaluable for addressing technical issues—like game rules and improving the Ranji Trophy’s competitiveness—the administration and financial management should be left to the experts,” he added.
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