Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at the critics of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, claiming they are not giving him credit due to their “political agenda”.
According to Gavaskar, Shah has taken bold 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 started his career in cricket administration with the Gujarat Cricket Association before joining BCCI in 2015. He was eventually chosen as the board secretary in 2019.
Gavaskar believes Jay Shah is subjected to unfair criticism because he’s the son of India’s home minister Amit Shah.
“Look, I think the quality of governance has always been such that they’ve aimed to promote Indian cricket. 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,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“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 also opined that it’s not always ideal to have former cricketer running the daily affairs of the BCCI as he reckons 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,” Gavaskar 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 further remarked.
