ICC Chairman calls India’s T20 World Cup team better than ‘powerful’ Australia

Former BCCI Secretary and current ICC President Jay Shah is delighted to be honored for his contribution to the growth of Indian cricket. He described the Indian team as being unbeatable in ICC tournaments in recent times and linked it to Australia’s earlier dominance in global events.

India’s recent winning streak in ICC events follows the mighty Australian team’s previous tremendous patch between 1999 and 2007, when they won three consecutive ODI World Cups and the Champions Trophy.

Jay Shah on the development of Team India since 2019.

“From 2019 to 2026, Team India achieved huge success – 2 Under-19 Men’s World Cups, 2 Under-19 Women’s World Cups, two-time WTC runners-up, ODI World Cup runners-up, consecutive T20 World Cup titles and the 2025 CT. Congratulations to all.”pic.twitter.com/7F6ZOiCVyV

– Sam (@Cricsam01) 14 March 2026

After winning the previous T20 World Cup in 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, India has also won the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. After losing the final to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, they are unbeaten in ICC competitions since 2023.

Just like there was a time when Australia meant victory, today Team India means victory – Jai Shah

The Indian team became the first team in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup to successfully defend its title. They were also the first team to win it on home soil and the first team to win it for the third time.

Reflecting on India’s global dominance, the former BCCI secretary said during a private awards ceremony, “Just like there was a time when Australia meant winning, today, Team India means winning. This has become the reality now.”

He was honored at the event for his extraordinary contribution to sports in India; However, he dedicated it to the hard-working athletes of India. “I want to dedicate this award to all the athletes, especially the women athletes, who are working hard on the field,” Shah said.

Jay Shah, as ICC Chairman, congratulated all the semi-finalists of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026

He congratulated Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir for India’s victory in the ICC T20 World Cup and also praised the other semi-finalists as ICC President.

“I want to congratulate Surya, Gautam Gambhir and all the players of Team India. I want to congratulate not only Team India but also the South African team and the England team, who did not lose a single game before the knockout stage.

“And finally the finalists, the New Zealand cricket team, the way they performed on the field and worked hard. Congratulations to them too,” Shah said.

He also listed the overall achievements of the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams since joining the BCCI in 2019. He pointed to India’s stellar performance with double wins in the men’s and women’s ICC Under-19 World Cups.

The Women’s ODI World Cup, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy as well as two closely-contested WTC finals and the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup.

Jay Shah inspired BCCI and Indian players to work with the same zeal and passion

He then reached out to the entire Indian team through Suryakumar and Gautam Gambhir and shared his experience as an administrator, where he learned that “it takes months to move from top to bottom, but years to move from bottom to top.”

He said that in BCCI they had everything planned till the 2028 Olympics and now the new members should plan keeping in mind the 2026 Olympics as well as the 2030 and 2032 Games, which India can host.

“New people have come to replace me in BCCI. You all need to prepare together for the 2030 and 2032 Games and you know where the 2036 Olympics will be held. So prepare for that too,” he advised.

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