BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Sunday congratulated Team India for winning the T20 World Cup title in West Indies via a video message and also expressed confidence in winning next year’s World Test Championship Final and Champions Trophy under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. Shah extended his heartfelt congratulations to the Men in Blue while dedicating the win to outgoing coach Rahul Dravid and the senior trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who announced their retirements from T20Is following the title win against South Africa in Barbados.

“Many congratulations to Team India for this historic victory. I would like to dedicate this victory to coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. This was our third final in the last one year,” Shah said in a video message.

“We were in the WTC final in June 2023, but lost it. We won lots of hearts with ten consecutive wins in November 2023, but could not win the ODI World Cup. I had said in Rajkot that we will win the Cup in June 2024, we will win hearts, the World Cup and raise India’s flag high, and our captain exactly did that.”

#WATCH | BCCI Secretary Jay Shah congratulates the Indian cricket team on winning the ICC T20 World Cup

He says, “…I am confident that under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, we will win the WTC Final and the Champions Trophy…”

(Source: BCCI) pic.twitter.com/NEAvQwxz8Y

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2024

The BCCI secretary outlined the importance of the final five overs of the summit clash that shifted momentum towards India as Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya bagged crucial wickets while Suryakumar Yadav’s flying catch on the boundary rope put the final nail in the coffin to make India triumphant.

“The last five overs in the final made a big contribution to this victory. For this contribution, I would like to extend my utmost thank to Suryakumar Yadav, (Jasprit) Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya,” he said.

In the end, he put faith in Rohit’s leadership to win their first WTC Final and Champions Trophy too in 2025.

“After this victory, the next stage is the 2025 WTC final and the Champions Trophy. I am truly confident that we will win both the tournaments under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Once again, thank you all. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat, Vande Mataram,” Shah concluded.

Indian team returned on Thursday and was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in New Delhi before leaving for Mumbai for a victory parade from Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium. The team received a 125 crore prize money from BCCI at the Wankhede Stadium on bringing the T20 World Cup back on home soil after 17 years. It also ended the ICC title drought of 11 years for the country.

Rahul Dravid after India’s win in T20 World Cup 2024 final© AFP

The Indian cricket team will have a new head coach from the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka starting later this month, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Monday but did not reveal who has been finalised to succeed the outgoing Rahul Dravid. Former opener Gautam Gambhir is expected to succeed Dravid as the India head coach. The Cricket Advisory Committee has also conducted the interviews for the high-profile job and short-listed Gambhir and former India women’s coach W V Raman.

The appointment of a selector will also be made soon, said Shah, who is in the Caribbean with the India squad that won the T20 World Cup title on Saturday, beating South Africa by seven runs in the final.

“Both coach and selector appointment will be made shortly. CAC has interviewed and shortlisted two names and after reaching Mumbai whatever they have decided we will go by that. VVS Laxman is going to Zimbabwe but new coach will join from Sri Lanka series,” Shah told select media, referring to the Zimbabwe tour beginning July 6.

The Indian team is due to tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs starting July 27.

Seniors’ presence helped India

Shah showed his elation after India won an ICC title after 11 years here on Saturday. He praised the efforts of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who played a match-winning knock in the final.

Both the stalwarts announced their retirement from T20Is after the triumph and were joined by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in saying goodbye to the format a day later.

“It was same captain last year and same here in Barbados. We won all games except the final in 2023 as Australia played better. This time we worked even harder and played better to win the title.

“If you look at other teams, experience counts. From Rohit to Virat, all excelled. Experience makes a lot of difference, in World Cups you can’t experiment much also.

“A good player knows when to say goodbye to the game, we saw that yesterday. You look at Rohit’s strike rate, it is better than a lot of young players,” he said.

How does he see the transition panning out following the retirement of Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja? “Transition has already happened with three greats retiring,” Shah said.

India, who had built a reputation of losing the big finals over the past decade, finally ended their title drought after losing two ICC finals over the last 12 months and Shah hoped the winning run will continue.

“I would want India to win all the titles. We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises.

“The way this team is progressing, our target is to win the World Test Championship final and Champions Trophy. There will be a similar squad playing there. The seniors will be there,” said Shah.

On Hardik Pandya’s all-round performance in the World Cup and chances of him taking over captaincy from Rohit, Shah said: “Captaincy will be decided by the selectors and we will announce it after discussing with them. You asked about Hardik, there were lot of questions over his form but we and selectors showed faith in him and he proved himself.”

India A to tour Australia

Shah also confirmed that an A team will be travelling to Australia later in the year ahead of the five Tests Down Under.

The BCCI is planning a felicitation after reaching India but the Hurricane warning has shut down the airport in Barbados indefinitely, leaving the victorious squad stranded.

“Like you we are also stuck here. After the travel plans are clear, we will think about the felicitation,” said Shah.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah honoured the star India batter Suryakumar Yadav with the ‘Fielder of the Match’ award following their win over South Africa by seven runs in the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024. After Team India’s phenomenal win over South Africa in the final match of the marquee event on Saturday, the Men in Blue ended their long drought for an ICC trophy.

The X handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the medal ceremony, which takes place after every game in the dressing room.

In the last over of the match, Suryakumar Yadav made a stunning catch on the long-off to remove David Miller from the crease. Miller’s dismissal helped India to make a comeback in the game and win the crucial game by seven runs.

The India fielding coach T Dilip praised every player of the team for rising in the final match of the tournament.

“We talk about rising to the occasion in big games, today we didn’t just rise, but conquered today. The intensity, the camaraderie, the resilience that we have shown not just today, but throughout the tournament, nothing short of extraordinary stuff,” T Dilip said.

“Like Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma keep saying, like a pack of wolves, we hunted every opportunity that came our way, leaving no stone unturned,” he added.

Recapping the final match of the tournament, India won the toss and opted to bat first. After being reduced to 34/3, a counter-attacking partnership between Virat (76) and Axar Patel (47 in 31 balls, with one four and four sixes) of 72 runs restored India’s position in the game. A 57-run stand between Virat and Shivam Dube (27 in 16 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to 176/7 in their 20 overs.

Keshav Maharaj (2/23) and Anrich Nortje (2/26) were the top bowlers for SA. Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram took a wicket each.

In the run chase of 177 runs, Proteas was reduced to 12/2 and then a 58-run partnership between Quinton de Kock (39 in 31 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Tristan Stubbs (31 in 21 balls, with three fours and a six) brought back SA into the game. A half-century by Heinrich Klaasen (52 in 27 balls, with two fours and five sixes) threatened to take the game away from India. However, Arshdeep Singh (2/18), Jasprit Bumrah (2/20) and Hardik (3/20) made a fine comeback in death overs, keeping SA to 169/8 in their 20 overs.

Virat secured the ‘Player of the Match’ for his performance. Now, by securing their first ICC title since the Champions Trophy in 2013, India has ended their ICC trophy drought.

Describing them as “unsung heroes”, BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Monday announced that groundsmen and curators of all the 10 regular IPL venues will be given Rs 25 lakh each as a token of appreciation for providing “brilliant pitches” during the league. The IPL concluded in Chennai on Sunday with Kolkata Knight Riders lifting their third overall trophy with an eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“The unsung heroes of our successful T20 season are the incredible ground staff who worked tirelessly to provide brilliant pitches, even in difficult weather conditions,” Shah posted on X.

“As a token of our appreciation, the groundsmen and curators at the 10 regular IPL venues will receive INR 25 lakhs each, and the same at the 3 additional venues will get INR 10 lakhs each. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!” he said.

The unsung heroes of our successful T20 season are the incredible ground staff who worked tirelessly to provide brilliant pitches, even in difficult weather conditions. As a token of our appreciation, the groundsmen and curators at the 10 regular IPL venues will receive INR 25…

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) May 27, 2024

The 10 regular venues for the IPL are Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

The additional venues this year were Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Dharamsala. While Guwahati was the second home venue for Rajasthan Royals, Visakhapatnam hosted Delhi Capitals’ first leg of home matches.

Dharamsala served as the second base for Kings XI Punjab. This year’s IPL has been talked about for high-scoring matches with the peak team total record shattered twice. The 250-run mark was crossed as many as eight times this season.

Shah also congratulated KKR for their title triumph.

“Congratulations to the @KKRiders for clinching the 2024 #TATAIPL! The team showed great consistency throughout the tournament and kudos to @ShreyasIyer15 for leading the side brilliantly.

“Once again, thank you to the fans for coming out in big numbers and for making this yet another successful season!” he said.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Friday rejected claims that the Board has approached any former Australian cricketer to be India’s next head coach and hinted that Rahul Dravid’s successor could be an Indian by saying that he should have a “deep understanding” of the game’s structure in the country. While Dravid has reportedly told the board that he is not interested in a third stint, former Australian players like Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer have claimed that they have turned down approaches for the high-profile position.

“Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer. The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect,” Shah said in a statement.

Both Ponting and Langer are involved in the Indian Premier League as the head coaches of Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants respectively. World Cup-winning former batting star Gautam Gambhir, who is currently mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders, is speculated to be among the top contenders for the post right now.

“Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process. We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks,” Shah said.

23rd May – Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer declined the BCCI’s offer to Head Coach team India.

24th May – Jay Shah confirms the BCCI did not contact any Australian for the Head Coach post. pic.twitter.com/0zDYluDLN1

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 24, 2024

The BCCI secretary also said that having in-depth knowledge of Indian domestic cricket will be one of the important criteria for appointing the next coach. He said the understanding would be crucial to “truly elevate Team India to the next level.” Ponting had claimed on Thursday that he was approached to take over the role but said that he declined as it did not fit with his “lifestyle” right now.

Ponting told ICC review, “I’ve seen a lot of reports about it. Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it.” “I’d love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home…everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team you can’t be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well,” he said.

Taking up the job of coaching India also implies spending 10-11 months away from home but Ponting said his family seemed ready for it.

“…I had a whisper to my son about it, and I said, ‘Dad’s been offered the Indian coaching job’ and he said, ‘Just take it, dad, we would love to move over there for the next couple of years'” he said.

“That’s how much they love being over there and the culture of cricket in India, but right now it probably doesn’t exactly fit into my lifestyle,” Ponting said.

Meanwhile, Langer, who had remained noncommittal about applying for India coaching role after IPL clash between LSG and Mumbai Indians, said he would “never say never” but at the same time revealed receiving crucial advice from Lucknow skipper KL Rahul.

Langer told BBS Stumped Podcast, ”It would be an amazing job. I also know that it’s an all-encompassing role, and having done it for four years with the Australian team, honestly, it’s exhausting. And that’s the Australian job.” “You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL Rahul and he said, ‘You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand, (that is) coaching India. That was a good bit of advice, I guess,” Langer said.

“It would be an awesome job, but not for me at the moment,” he added.

Former England and current Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower had also ruled himself out of the race saying he is happy being involved in franchise cricket for now.

Chennai Super Kings chief executive Kasi Viswanathan has done the same for Stephen Fleming claiming the former New Zealand captain won’t be keen on taking a job which requires him to work ‘nine-ten months a year’.

Shah described the position of India’s head coach as the most prestigious job in international cricket, saying it demands high level of professionalism given the kind of support the national side enjoys.

“When we talk about international cricket, no role is more prestigious than that of the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Team India commands the largest fan base globally, enjoying support that is truly unrivalled,” he said.

“Our rich history, passion for the game make this one of the most lucrative jobs in the world. The role demands a high level of professionalism as one gets to nurture some of the best cricketers in the world and an assembly line of talented cricketers to follow.

“Catering to the aspirations of a billion fans is a huge honour and the BCCI will pick the right candidate, capable of propelling Indian cricket forward,” Shah added.