Last Updated on 1 month ago by Charbel Coorey
Fans and pundits have criticised Jay Shah for his celebrations with the India team after the T20 World Cup Final, claiming it is not a good look as ICC chairman.
Shah lifted the trophy alongside Suryakumar Yadav, and was also a prominent feature in the BCCI’s video. He appeared in 12 different frames, while the likes of Shivam Dube – who played a crucial role in India’s triumph – did not feature except in the final shot of the squad celebrating with the trophy on stage.
“Meant to be neutral” – Fans, pundits critical of Jay Shah’s involvement in India’s T20 World Cup celebrations
Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon of The Final Word Podcast led a chorus of discontent on social media following the footage.
“A shot literally celebrating with the trophy with the team. This is the boiling frog thing, isn’t it?” said Collins.
“This is not normal to have the guy who is responsible for the biggest decisions in global cricket on behalf of all of the members celebrating like he’s in his old job, the best way of putting it, in his previous position running the BCCI. That would be normal. That would be fine. That wouldn’t be remarked upon.
“I actually feel sorry for the players about… these Indian players who have achieved so much, these Indian players who have been found from every corner of the country, part of the great success story of the Indian Premier League. And yet so much of the focus ends up becoming about the guy who not only on stage celebrated with them, but afterwards with the trophy and what happened later on that night.”
Lemon echoed Collins’ thoughts, saying Shah should let the players have the limelight.
“If you’re heading the national board, you shouldn’t be celebrating like you’re a punter in the stands. There is still a difference between those things. If you’re the head of a national board, you’ve got to understand the importance, the significance of other national boards,” Lemon said.
“You’ve got to understand your place in that ecosystem as well. Your job is to let the people who did the thing enjoy the thing. There’s no boiling frog anymore. The frog is boiled. The frog is the French cuisine, right? It’s done. The dish is being served up.”
Other fans had their say and many were disappointed at Shah’s desire to be the centre of attention when a terrific T20 team performed so well.
“All these incredible achievements by this great white ball squad shouldn’t be compromised because one narcissist thinks about making it all about himself,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s a shame that they included 4 clips in this montage without him. Blasphemous stuff. That editor should be fired the first thing in the morning and made sure he never gets a job anywhere else in the world,” wrote another.
