The Indian side won the T20 World Cup. What happened next should concern us more.

Sushant Singh on how Jay Shah's and the team's decision to take the trophy to a Hindu temple tarnishes the sport and the team's victory

ICC President Jay Shah with the Indian team after the win

The images of the Indian team hoisting the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad marked a crowning moment for a side that has become a relentless force in the shortest format of the game. This 2026 T20 World Cup victory was a masterclass in modern cricket from all players of the team. The performance on the field was a testament to the immense skill and mental fortitude of the players who successfully defended their title on home soil. However, the sporting brilliance of the evening was quickly overshadowed by a series of events that suggest a deep and troubling transformation of the game.

The presence of Jay Shah at the centre of the celebrations raised immediate questions about the integrity of his role as the chair of the International Cricket Council. While his position demands a certain degree of global neutrality and institutional distance, his conduct was indistinguishable from that of a parochial Indian official. The traditional boundaries that once separated the international governing body from the interests of a national board have effectively vanished. There were persistent concerns throughout the tournament regarding the impartiality of the ICC in matters of scheduling and pitch curation to favour the home side. These concerns have now been validated by the sight of the ICC head behaving like a partisan patron of the Indian team. The global body has become an extension – or perhaps a franchisee – of the Indian cricketing establishment and Jay Shah appears to be the primary architect of this business.