Saikia, Laxman Praise Jay Shah's Role in BCCI Centre of Excellence

The BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru was built on 40 acres of land that had remained barren and idle for years before construction began on February 14, 2022. The facility was formally inaugurated on September 27, 2024, and became operational in November 2024. It replaced the older, temporary arrangement of the National Cricket Academy that had been housed at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, with operations shifting to the new site in a phased manner.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia and former India batting great VVS Laxman have both spoken about the central role played by Jay Shah, who served as BCCI Secretary during the development of the facility and is now ICC Chairman, in driving the project to completion.

Jay Shah was BCCI Secretary when the decision was taken to build the Centre of Excellence on a dedicated site. Regularising the 40 acres of land that the BCCI had acquired from the Karnataka government was identified as one of the most significant obstacles before construction could begin, given that the land had remained idle for a considerable period and there were competing interests in reclaiming it.

"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 in a press release.

"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 continued.

VVS Laxman arrived in Bengaluru in December 2021 to head the new Centre of Excellence, stepping into the role after Rahul Dravid was appointed India head coach. Laxman was present through much of the planning and construction phase and had direct visibility of how the project was managed at the highest level.

Laxman noted that the entire infrastructure was completed in close to two years and credited Shah for his hands-on engagement throughout that period.

"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 opined.

The Centre of Excellence spans over 40 acres and was designed to serve as a modern hub for Indian cricket's player development programmes, replacing a setup that had functioned as a temporary arrangement for several years.