Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
At the presentation ceremony after the Women’s World Cup final, Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian captain, bowed down to touch Jay Shah’s feet. The ICC chairman stopped Harmanpreet and bowed to the skipper in reverence. He saluted India’s ‘narishakthi’.
Now, Shah has spoken about his passion for women’s cricket. “I’ve been passionate about women’s cricket for a long time, and the success of the latest ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup is a testament to so many who have been working openly and behind the scenes for years to see this growth and evolution materialize before our very eyes,” he posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, adding the #CWC25 hashtag.
As the BCCI secretary, Shah thrived on his vision of inclusivity, ushering in many reforms, including equal match fees for centrally contracted men and women cricketers. The introduction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023 was the game-changer. It helped Harmanpreet & Co rub shoulders with the very best in the world, learn from them and develop a big-match temperament. The quality saw them through in the semi-final and the final, against Australia and South Africa.
After three consecutive losses during the group stage, India Women were all but written off. But the team was confident of turning things around. Harmanpreet spoke about that after the final, as she thanked her teammates, head coach Amol Muzumdar, the support staff and the BCCI.
“We should give credit to the support staff and the BCCI,” she said at the presentation. “We did not make too many changes (to our squad), and they (BCCI) really invested in us. And because of everyone, we are standing here. This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it. Now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning.”
As for Shah, after helping Indian women’s cricket get a facelift, he has taken the lead as the ICC chair to support the displaced Afghanistan women cricketers. It’s a landmark initiative, where the game’s global body has partnered with the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Shah has already spoken about it, as a task force has been formed. “At the International Cricket Council, we are deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and ensuring every cricketer has the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances,” he said. “In collaboration with our valued partners, we are proud to launch this task force and support fund, complemented by a comprehensive high-performance programme, to ensure displaced Afghan women cricketers can continue their journey in the sport.”
The Indian women’s cricket now has its 1983 moment, and the lion’s share of the credit goes to the players who did it out there in the middle. But spare a thought for those in the BCCI who worked relentlessly behind the scenes and contributed to the upliftment.
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