Watch: Devajit Saikia hails Jay Shah's contribution to cricket

The BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru celebrates its second anniversary, as the project took shape only after the Indian board decided to move away from the temporary arrangement of the National Cricket Academy, with former secretary Jay Shah playing a key role in pushing the project, for which the current chairman, Devajit Saikia, thanked Shah.

The biggest hurdle wasn’t construction but getting the land prepared for the project, as the 40 acres had been lying unused and the board had to go through several legal and regulatory processes to get the work in shape.

What Devajit Saikia said about Jay Shah's legacy — Watch

The BCCI secretary recalled how Shah brought the top officials of the board together and insisted that the project should be completed as soon as possible.

Watch Devajit Saikia thanking Jay Shah here-

“He took everybody on board in BCCI's Apex Council and made a firm decision that this establishment (CoE) has to be done on a war footing, and we need to move on from the old, temporary arrangement of National Cricket Academy.” Saikia expressed this to the media.

“Jay came here personally on several occasions to clear all the legal hurdles to start the work, because a lot of regulations are to be followed once we have to start a proper project and on top of that, we have to regularise the land.” He revealed.

VVS Laxman, who was part of the transition, also remembered how Shah and then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly approached him for the head-coaching role in 2021.

“In the span of close to two years, the entire infrastructure was up and running. And huge credit to Jay, because he was the secretary of the BCCI and I myself saw firsthand how much interest he used to take in various meetings we used to have with the architects, with the L&T team, to make sure that every aspect of the COE, or then NCA, is taken care of.” Laxman reflected.

“And it's great to see that, you know, the vision was translated into reality. And I think all leaders have vision. But the vision will only bear fruit when it's translated into reality. And that reality is what we've seen in November 2024.” He concluded.

From WPL to pay Parity — Jay Shah's biggest contributions to Indian cricket

The rise of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) stands as one of the most defining moments of Indian cricket, and much of its credit should go to Jay Shah. Under his leadership, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has witnessed an unprecedented transformation, as the launch of the league helped their women’s team grow, which eventually saw them winning the Women’s World Cup 2025 and doing well in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026.

The pay parity in international cricket was another such major decision. The move ensured that the male and female cricketers would get equal match fees while representing the national side, as it positioned the Indian side as a global leader in promoting gender equality in sports.

In Jay Shah’s tenure, Indian cricket also saw strong commercial growth, better infrastructure, and increased support for domestic cricket.