Gautam Gambhir and Hardik Pandya extend wishes to new ICC chairman Jay Shah, confident his vision will elevate cricket to new heights

Jay Shah, the current BCCI secretary, has made history by being elected as the youngest ever chairman of the International Cricket Council. He will officially take over the reins from Greg Barclay on December 1st. Barclay, who served two consecutive terms, decided not to run for another term, paving the way for Shah to lead the cricket governing body at just 35 years old.

Shah joined the likes of late Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar to become the fifth Indian to hold the top position at ICC.

Gautam Gambhir, who was recently appointed as Team India's head coach, posted a congratulatory message for Shah on his X account (formerly known as Twitter).

"Many congrats @JayShah bhai! I know world cricket will grow tremendously under your exceptional leadership!" Gambhir wrote.

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya also wrote a note for Shah and said his vision and drive will help ICC grow like it did with BCCI.

"Congratulations @JayShah bhai on being elected as the youngest chairman of ICC. Look forward to seeing you take cricket to even greater heights. Your vision and drive will help ICC, just like it did with BCCI," Pandya wrote.

India's white-ball vice-captain Shubman Gill also wrote: “Congratulations on being appointed chairman of the ICC, all the best Jay bhai!”

Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh asserted that Shah's leadership will guide the world cricket to a new height

"Congratulations to Secretary @BCCI Shri @JayShah Ji on your election, unopposed, as Chairman @ICC. Confident that the ICC will benefit from your experience of handling Indian cricket. Your leadership will guide world cricket to a new height. My best wishes," he added.

Jay Shah's goal to make cricket more inclusive and popular

The Ahmedabad-based administrator, who was the sole nominee for the chairmanship, emphasised his commitment to expanding the global reach and popularity of cricket, especially with its upcoming inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

"I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before," he was quoted as saying in the release.

It is understood that one among the powerful SENA cricket boards (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) was Shah's proposer and another one of these countries seconded the nomination. And he remained the lone contender on the last day of nominations.

Stay informed with the latest updates on live cricket score, cricket players, match schedules and ICC rankings. Keep an eye on your favourite cricket team, including the stellar performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Check out the cricket schedule, track team standings and dive into player stats and rankings on Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times website and app.