“Wishing you great success ahead” – Virat Kohli congratulates Jay Shah on being elected as ICC chairman
Former India captain Virat Kohli, on Wednesday, August 28, wished BCCI secretary Jay Shah on being elected as the new ICC chairman. The reaction came a day after ICC confirmed that Jay Shah will assume the role from December 1, 2024.
The official notification came days after current ICC chair Greg Barclay confirmed that he won’t apply for a third term after the conclusion of his tenure, which ends in November.
Notably, Shah will be the youngest ICC chairman. The 35-year-old is the fifth Indian to assume the role after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.
Virat Kohli wrote on X:
“Many congratulations @JayShah on being elected as the ICC chairman. Wishing you great success ahead.”
On his appointment, Shah has committed to expanding cricket worldwide with the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. He said in an official statement to the ICC:
“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket.
"We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.”
He added:
“While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”
Jay Shah climbs to the top of the ladder
Jay Shah has now climbed to the top of the ladder. He began working as a cricket administrator at District & State level in 2009 in Gujarat. He became joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) in 2013 before his appointment as the BCCI secretary in 2019. In 2021, he was appointed President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Later, in 2022, he became a member of the ICC board.
During his term as the BCCI secretary, the board announced equal match fees for both genders in international cricket, becoming only the second board to implement equal pay.
Jay Shah's term also saw the introduction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and increased prize money in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, BCCI conducted the IPL twice during peak COVID and built a new National Cricket Academy (NCA) campus.