Boria Majumdar in Paris
It was a pleasant surprise to see Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the opening of the India House here in Paris. World cricket’s most powerful man at the moment, Shah is here for a couple of days and was present at the inauguration to promote cricket for Los Angeles 2028. It was the first time we were meeting after India’s World Cup win and it was natural that the conversation would go to that. After a brief chat about the trophy win and about Suryakumar Yadav taking over the reins of the side, the conversation turned towards the Olympics.
“How many medals do you think we can win this time?” asked Shah. It was the usual question to ask, but interestingly, he did not stop there. When I said we should surely have our best games, Shah was quick to add, “At Los Angeles in 2028, cricket will add two medals to our tally. I expect the women and men’s team to have a shot at gold.”As he spoke, one could sense he was keen, passionate about trying to make a difference and a mark at the Olympics. The T20 World Cup win has given Indian cricket new oxygen and the determination to make it big in LA is very much evident.
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.#JayShah 2028 Olympics
Today when we were speaking the chat went to how many medals India can win. And that’s when Jay said in 2028 cricket should add two medals to this tally. He wants the women and men to add two possible gold medals to the medal count.
Excellent.… pic.twitter.com/w3Fc9YGUQu
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) July 27, 2024
While he was keen to go to the shooting in Chateauroux, the distance was a hindrance. The range is nearly three hours from Paris and it could mean that Shah watches other events, which are very much within the city’s precincts.
“I leave in a day but would want to see an Indian win,” he said. “It just makes you so very proud of who you are and gives you hope that India can do it on the big stage. I was keen to promote cricket here in Paris, and with its inclusion in Los Angeles, it should help the Indian cause.”
That was when news came in that Manu Bhaker had made it to the women’s 10m air pistol final. It could well be that Shah is lucky enough to see an Indian medal before he leaves French shores on Monday.