How Jay Shah Maintained a Politics-Free Environment in Indian Cricket?

The Indian cricket team is now filled with politics, which has destroyed the team to some extent. But there was a time when a politician’s son was the BCCI Chairman. At that time, too, he kept the team away from politics.

Nowadays, fans can easily say that the Indian team has been affected by politics. This is because of the new Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir, and his decisions with the selectors. With the team undergoing massive changes under them,

But there was a time when a politician's son was the Chairman of the BCCI. Despite that, he kept the team away from politics till he left his post. We are talking about none other than Jay Shah, the son of BJP Leader Amit Shah. Now serving as the ICC Chairman, fans miss the time when Jay Shah ruled the BCCI.

1. Jay Shah as the BCCI Chairman

During his tenure as the BCCI Chairman, Jay Shah left the team a lot far from politics. Players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were left untouched, and no selector could even question their spot in the line-up. Moreover, there was no favouritism for any player in the team.

It was clear that Jay Shah became the BCCI Chairman due to his political family background. Fans have trolled him to a great extent that someone who doesn't even know how to hold a bat has been the Chairman of the BCCI. Now, they surely miss out a lot on Jay Shah, when he was the chairman.

Jay Shah focused more on improving the quality of the Indian cricket team. Also, he helped the board make infrastructural developments, so that more players would be able to get an opportunity to represent themselves for the team. One of the main reasons why Shah is considered better by the fans is that he didn't take political considerations for the team selection.

He did various things that helped to expand the profits and revenue of the BCCI. For this, he expanded the IPL, which helped the tournament to receive commendable growth over the past few years. Along with that, he also launched youth programs, developed training centers, and did a lot more.

2. Did Gambhir Bring Politics to the Game?

Gautam Gambhir has been a politician before he resumed his operations as a coach. Having some experience in this field, fans thought that he might bring it to the Indian cricket team. But Gambhir brought several things which were out of the syllabus for the fans, making them think that politics has destroyed the ICT.

One of the major examples of the same has been Harshit Rana. Despite not having much experience, Gambhir has selected him out of favouritism, according to many fans. The selection of Harshit Rana over players such as Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and many more has shown how politics have entered the game.

Along with that,  that Gambhir is now playing politics against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. With both players being completely fit and fine for the 2027 World Cup, Gambhir doesn't see them in his plans. For this, he has given them a number of challenges to prove their place in the Indian team.

In an interview, he also talked earlier about Yashasvi Jaiswal being an all-format player. But now, he doesn't see Jaiswal in any other formats other than Tests. The same has been true for his comments on Rohit Sharma. This shows how fast Gambhir changed his wants just to bring politics to the Indian team.