“When India plays well, the pitches are bad” - 5 headline-grabbing statements made by Jay Shah in recent interview
Board of Control of Cricket in India secretary Jay Shah is undoubtedly one of the important personalities in Indian cricket. With him at the helm as BCCI secretary, the Indian cricket board has continued to grow in various aspects.
Recently, he announced that a new state of the art National Cricket Academy will come up on the outskirts of Bengaluru in September. The man who accurately predicted Team India's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup revealed that the new NCA will be also open to Olympic sportspersons.
In an exclusive interview with the Times of India recently, Shah elaborated on the above points and also shared his views about many other matters of prime importance for Indian and world cricket.
On that note, we take a look at five headline-grabbing statements made by the BCCI secretary in his TOI interview.
#1 "Doesn't make sense to add to Virat and Rohit's load by asking them to play domestic cricket"
While some earlier reports claimed that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could play the Duleep Trophy to prepare for the Bangladesh series, the duo was not picked in any of the squads announced for the first-round matches of the red-ball event. However, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan will feature in Duleep Trophy 2024.
In the interview, Shah explained that whoever gets injured can only come back into the Indian team by proving his fitness in domestic cricket. He, however, added that it 'doesn't make sense to add to Virat and Rohit's load by asking them to play domestic cricket', as they run the risk of getting injured.
#2 "When India plays well, the pitches are bad, but when India plays badly, the pitches are good"
The BCCI secretary also opined that double standards exist in world cricket when it comes views on pitches when India win. Asked for his thoughts on the same, he came up with a tongue-in-cheek response and commented::
"There are double standards in only one way. When India plays well, the pitches are bad, but when India plays badly, the pitches are good."
The 35-year-old also revealed that there's no provision for a pink-ball Test in India in the near future, as they end in two days, causing spectators as well as broadcasters to lose money.
#3 "I flatly refused" - Jay Shah on why India said no to ICC's offer over hosting Women's T20 World Cup
There are serious question marks over the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in October owing to the civil unrest in the country.
During the interview to TOI, Shah admitted that the ICC had asked BCCI if they could host the event, but he said no.
"They [ICC] had asked the BCCI if they can host the event, but I flatly refused. We would be still in the monsoon season, and next year, we are going to host the ODI Women's World Cup," the BCCI secretary was quoted as saying by the paper.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh men's team is set to tour India for two Tests and three T20Is from September 19 to October 12.
#4 "How will the players bond with different coaches?"
In recent years, sides like England and Pakistan have opted for different coaches for different formats.
Shah, though, doesn't feel Indian cricket needs to look in that direction as of now. He pointed out that 70% of the team is almost the same across formats and that Gautam Gambhir is keen on being all-format coach.
"It depends on the coach we have picked. Gautam Gambhir was interested in all three formats, then who I am to tell him that I am going to pick you only for this format. ... How will the players bond with different coaches?" Shah said.
Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid as head coach after Dravid's tenure had ended following India's victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
#5 "As an administrator, for me, the game is bigger" - Jay Shah on Impact Player debate
During the interview to Times of India, the BCCI secretary also shared his views on the huge debate surrounding the Impact Player rule in the IPL.
Admitting that the rule has its pros and cons, he said that betterment of all stakeholders needs to be taken into account, adding that a final decision will be taken soon.
"We should also think about the broadcaster, who is paying a lot of money. But as an administrator for me, the game is bigger," Shah commented.
A few prominent names in Indian cricket, including Rohit and Axar Patel have openly admitted that they are not big fans of the Impact Player rule.