Raghuram Bhat, Jaydev Shah, Jayesh George: Seasoned administrators elevated to new roles

Mumbai, Sep 28 (PTI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday welcomed Raghuram Bhat and Jaydev Shah into its ranks as office bearers during its Annual General Meeting held here.

PTI explores the background of Bhat, the new BCCI treasurer, Shah, the latest entrant to the Apex Council, and new Women's Premier League chairman Jayesh George.

Raghuram Bhat ========== Bhat’s playing career for India lasted only two Tests in 1983 but the left-arm spinner was a domestic stalwart, taking 374 wickets in 82 first-class matches for Karnataka.

After retirement, Bhat was actively involved in umpiring and coaching at various levels, including the head coach of Goa, before turning his attention to administration.

After serving a stint as the chairman of the state senior selection committee, Bhat took over as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president in November 2022.

He has been leading the association deftly ever since and his tenure will end on September 30. Beyond his affable exterior, Bhat is a wise man aware of the nuances of administration and the intricate layers of rules, which will come handy in his new role.

Bhat was elected treasurer after incumbent Prabhtej Bhatia handed the new role of joint secretary.

Jaydev Shah ======== Shah, son of veteran administrator Niranjan Shah, had a long domestic career, playing 120 first-class games for 5354 runs, averaging close to 30. But the 42-year-old shone as a captain and man manager, evidenced while leading Saurashtra to Vijay Hazare Trophy win in 2007-08, besides guiding them to the Ranji Trophy final in the 2012-13 and 2015-16 seasons.

He retired after the 2017-18 season, and became the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) president in September 2019. In July 2021, Shah was drafted into a BCCI working committee to oversee the conduct of the 2021-22 domestic season in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He had also played an influential role in BCCI introducing DRS in the Ranji Trophy in 2020. Last year, he accompanied the Indian team to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the manager.

Jayesh George ========== George is precisely not a newcomer to the BCCI fold as the veteran administrator from Kerala was the board’s joint secretary under Jay Shah. He is known for his efficient handling of situations and organisational ability, and it hardly offered a surprise when he was selected as the first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL) chairman.

As the president of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), George played a leading role in setting up the Kerala Cricket League (KCL).

“A big thanks to BCCI for giving me this responsibility and the KCA gave me all the support. I will use this opportunity to improve the WPL and give more opportunities to our women cricketers,” George said after the BCCI AGM.

Vinod Kumar, the KCA secretary, welcomed George’s appointment. “We at the KCA congratulate Mr Jayesh George. His appointment comes as an encouragement for us at a time when the KCA is planning to start a women’s league next year, and hopefully we can also stage some WPL matches and other high-profile women’s matches,” said Vinod Kumar. PTI UNG BS BS