BCCI Centre of Excellence marks two years after Jay Shah's push to complete project

The BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru turns two this week. Jay Shah had pushed the project through when he was secretary, and the current secretary, Devajit Saikia, says Shah personally sorted the legal blocks and regularised 40 acres that had sat idle.

VVS Laxman had already shifted base from Hyderabad to Bengaluru in December 2021, right after Rahul Dravid took over as India head coach. Laxman recalls Shah turning up for meetings with the architects and L&T engineers, walking the site and keeping the build on track.

Moving out of the old National Cricket Academy wasn't simple, but the new facility went from drawings to keys in just two years.