We want more stadiums coming up in J&K: BCCI chief Manhas

BCCI president Mithun Manhas was elated to see Jammu and Kashmir landing their maiden Ranji Trophy title, but his pragmatic mind has already zeroed in on the construction of new stadiums in the Union Territory to take the cricket further forward.

After 67 years of toil, Jammu and Kashmir held eight-time champions Karnataka to a draw and bagged the coveted title by virtue of a massive 291-run first inning lead.

“It took us 67 years. It’s been a long journey to title. I’m very thankful to BCCI for giving us a state-of-the-art academy in Jammu where we’ll be having indoor facilities, swimming pool, gymnasium and the same we will be doing in Kashmir,” Manhas said after the Ranji Trophy final here on Saturday.

“Now, what we want is the stadiums coming up in both the places—Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in Rajouri, Poonch and Chenab because this team has got players from everywhere. So that’s the need of the hour and the elections are going to happen now. Hopefully, we’ll get the funds from the BCCI,” he added.

Manhas, who has a long association with cricket in J&K, lauded skipper Paras Dogra for bringing a sense of calm to the team’s dressing room. Manhas had roped in Dogra as J&K skipper when the former was working with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

“I think in Paras we found the right captain. He’s coming from Himachal, he knows the conditions in J&K pretty well. He’s played a lot of cricket in England, which makes him a thorough professional.

“He’s the kind of guy who is rarely aggressive. He’s very calm, quiet, and goes about his business in a very structured and meticulous way. So that was one calming effect we had in the dressing room,” Manhas said.

Jay Shah’s vision for J&K

Former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is currently heading the International Cricket Council, took special attention to improve the standards of cricket, Manhas revealed.

Shah visited the region extensively during his tenure at BCCI to get first-hand knowledge of J&K cricket. “He was the first secretary in the history of J&K to come to Jammu and see the facilities himself. Once he was there and he showed us his full support, things started moving in the right direction,” said Manhas.

“We got a lot of flak way back because of the system. There used to be a quota of 8 (players) from Srinagar and 8 from Jammu. We never believed in such a system. There’s only one quota and that is merit for us. Before us, in a season, there used to be 28 players or 30 players. But once we got involved, we saw that the system had to be set in place.” Manhas said.

Shah’s idea of forming the Cricket Advisory Committee had a cathartic influence on J&K cricket. “We formed a CAC to start with. We got in all the competitors who had the experience and who knew what it takes to rise. So once the system was in place, we all started moving in the right direction.” — PTI