From 40 acres of barren land to a state-of-the-art facility: Saikia, Laxman speak on Jay Shah's role in development of CoE
New Delhi, August 10
From 40 acres of land lying idle to a sprawling, state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence, the transformation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's premier cricketing facility stands as a testament to the vision and determined efforts of former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and the organisation's leadership.
As the Centre of Excellence approaches its second anniversary, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia recalled Shah's pivotal role in bringing the ambitious project to fruition, highlighting his efforts to bring all stakeholders onto the same page and ensure that the project moved forward on a war footing.
"He took everybody on board in the BCCI's Apex Council and made a firm decision that this establishment, the Centre of Excellence, had to be done on a war footing. We needed to move on from the old, temporary arrangement of the National Cricket Academy. Jay also came here personally on several occasions to clear all the legal hurdles to start the work, because a lot of regulations had to be followed once we decided to start a proper project. On top of that, we had to regularise the land," said Devajit Saikia, Secretary, BCCI, as quoted by a press release.
Saikia highlighted that regularising the 40-acre land was one of the biggest challenges faced before construction could begin.
"That was the biggest challenge because this kind of land, 40 acres, was lying idle and a lot of people wanted to take it back. So, everything had to be cleared before the work started on February 14, 2022. Jay went to great lengths to ensure that all the hurdles were cleared and that everyone involved in the project was aligned towards completing the mission," he added.
The journey also involved the transition from the National Cricket Academy to the new Centre of Excellence, with former India cricketer VVS Laxman playing an important role in the process. Recalling his own involvement, Laxman had earlier said that he moved to Bengaluru in December 2021 after Jay Shah and then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly reached out to him to ensure continuity following Rahul Dravid's move to the Indian team as head coach.
Laxman also credited Shah's hands-on involvement in translating the vision for the CoE into reality.
"In the span of close to two years, the entire infrastructure was up and running. And huge credit to Jay because he was the secretary of the BCCI and I myself saw firsthand how much interest he used to take in various meetings we used to have with the architects, with the L&T team, to make sure that each and every aspect of the CoE, or then NCA, is taken care of," Laxman said.
The BCCI Centre of Excellence, which became operational in November 2024, today stands as the realisation of that vision, with the project moving from an ambitious idea to a world-class cricketing facility in a remarkably short span of time.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see Indian cricket infrastructure progressing. This will benefit our future generations of cricketers. Though I wish they had this kind of facility when I was trying to make it as a fast bowler! 😄 Now our young players can train like international athletes without having to go abroad. Hope this sets a trend for other sports too.
Impressive transformation indeed. But I'm concerned about the money spent here while many state cricket associations still lack basic infrastructure. Shouldn't BCCI be more balanced in distributing resources? Still, credit where it's due - this is a step in the right direction for player development. Let's hope the benefits reach grassroots cricket.
As a cricket fan from Bangalore, I remember the old NCA days. This new CoE is a huge leap forward. Laxman bhai's involvement gives me confidence that the transition was smooth. The fact they got everything up and running in 2 years with all the red tape in India is genuinely impressive. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
It's great to see cricket infrastructure growing in India at this scale. Having followed your cricket system for years, this facility matches some of the best we have in Australia. The vision here is clear - develop world-class players at home. Khan saab would be proud of this one. Well done, BCCI!
I'm still waiting to see how this CoE translates into actual performance. We've had great facilities for years in Bangalore but the injury management and player development still needs work. Let's hope this modern setup actually
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.