How Jay Shah's vision transformed 40 acres of barren land in Bengaluru to BCCI Center of Excellence

The transformation of BCCI’s premier cricket facility in Bengaluru from 40 acres of barren land into a sprawling modern Center of Excellence (CoE) is testimony to the vision and commitment of former board secretary Jay Shah and the vision of the organization. As the CoE approaches its second anniversary, current secretary Devajit Saikia recalled Shah’s pivotal role in making the gigantic project a reality, as he worked hard to bring everyone together and ensured that the project moved 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 Saikia.

One of the main hurdles to start construction was to regularize the 40-acre plot of property, according to Saikia. "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 14th February 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.

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Along the way, former India cricketer VVS Laxman played a significant role too in the transformation. Recalling his own involvement, Laxman stated that he relocated to Bengaluru in December 2021 after being contacted by Shah and later Sourav Ganguly, who then was serving as the BCCI President, to provide continuity after Rahul Dravid became head coach of the Indian squad.

Laxman also acknowledged Shah's active participation in making the CoE's vision a 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.

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