Jay Shah celebrates three cricketing icons joining elite ranks

ICC Chairman Jay Shah expressed his delight after three sporting icons secured their places in cricket history. Sourav Ganguly, Anjum Chopra, and Kevin Pietersen joined the highly exclusive ranks of international cricket's greatest ever players on Saturday. Shah posted a warm message on social media to welcome these three new inductees to the club. He praised them for leading their respective national teams with immense pride. He also noted how much they gave back to the sport throughout their playing days.

For fans in neighboring Odisha, Ganguly holds a special place due to his frequent matches in Cuttack and deep regional ties during his eastern zone days.

Ganguly built a fierce reputation by scoring well over 18,000 international runs across formats. He changed how India played the game by introducing an aggressive winning mindset. Fans remember his legendary debut century at Lord’s and the historic 2001 victory against Australia in Kolkata.

Breaking Barriers In Indian Cricket

Former national captain Anjum Chopra broke truly significant ground for women's professional sports in India. She played internationally for 17 years and scored more than 3,500 runs. Chopra holds the distinct historical honor of being the very first Indian woman to play 100 One-Day Internationals. She also bravely guided her squad to their very first overseas Test win against South Africa.

England Star Earns Elite Status

Kevin Pietersen completes this year's list of distinguished inductees. He dominated bowling attacks worldwide and gathered nearly 14,000 runs for his country. His explosive batting style helped England capture the 2010 T20 World Cup title. He earned the prestigious Player of the Tournament award during that successful campaign.

These special inductions require players to be retired from international competition for at least five years. This rule ensures only truly lasting legacies receive this highest form of cricket recognition.