5 years in the past, when Mithun Manhas returned residence as a part of the three-member sub-committee appointed by the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI), he knew sentiment alone wouldn’t rebuild cricket in Jammu and Kashmir.
A former captain of the State facet and a seasoned First-Class cricketer, Manhas had seen each the promise and the pitfalls of the system. The crew had reached the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals a yr earlier, however the COVID-19 pandemic had stalled momentum. Infrastructure was weak. Pathways have been unclear. Morale was fragile.
“The imaginative and prescient was easy,” Manhas tells Sportstar. “Put the gamers first. In the event that they want one thing, give it to them. Create an setting the place efficiency turns into the one forex.”
5 years on, that philosophy has culminated in Jammu and Kashmir clinching its maiden Ranji Trophy title. “They’ve made us proud,” Manhas, now the president of the BCCI, says. “Again residence, 1000’s of girls and boys are watching them. They’re heroes now. They’ve already modified the mindset.”
Mithun Manhas believes this journey doesn’t finish with successful the Ranji Trophy. Moderately, it’s about creating an id and giving younger cricketers in Jammu and Kashmir a pathway that didn’t exist earlier than.
| Picture Credit score:
Ok MURALI KUMAR
Mithun Manhas believes this journey doesn’t finish with successful the Ranji Trophy. Moderately, it’s about creating an id and giving younger cricketers in Jammu and Kashmir a pathway that didn’t exist earlier than.
| Picture Credit score:
Ok MURALI KUMAR
From promise to course of
Since making its Ranji Trophy debut in 1959-60, Jammu and Kashmir was hardly ever seen as a heavyweight. There have been flashes, together with a knockout qualification in 2013-14 and one other quarterfinal run in 2019-20 below mentor Irfan Pathan. Nevertheless, consistency eluded the facet.
When Manhas returned in 2021, the truth was stark. “There was nothing,” he remembers. “Even the sq. was extra of a formality. Wickets weren’t up to speed. Structurally, we needed to begin from scratch.”
Throughout one among his visits to the Jammu Kashmir Cricket Affiliation workplace, quickly after taking cost, Manhas met Umran Malik, who had come in search of cricket balls. “He was already an IPL participant by then, so I used to be shocked to see that he needed to wrestle to get some fundamental stuff. We received the workplace opened and supplied him with the balls to practise,” Manhas says.
With Brigadier (retd.) Anil Gupta dealing with administration and robust backing from then BCCI secretary Jay Shah, the rebuilding started in earnest.
Manhas is candid about Shah’s function. “He was the primary BCCI secretary to go to JKCA after its affiliation in 1957. That go to modified issues. He spoke to gamers, noticed the amenities, understood the gaps. After that, every time we wanted one thing, help was there.”
However monetary backing alone doesn’t construct a cricketing tradition.
Additionally learn | Irfan Pathan: We have been constructing a J&Ok crew, not a Jammu crew or a Kashmir crew
The expertise hunt that modified all the pieces
The primary main step was launching a statewide expertise hunt in April 2022 — one thing that had by no means been executed systematically earlier than. Throughout his stint with J&Ok, Pathan had began figuring out gamers from the Jammu and Kashmir areas, however issues went haywire after his exit and through COVID.
So, it was a Herculean process.
“We realised that we needed to go district by district, village by village,” Manhas explains. “Earlier, there have been golf equipment, however many have been in dispute. Past that, there was no actual construction.”
Coaches have been despatched throughout districts. Camps have been organised for Below-16s first, step by step increasing to seniors and girls’s cricket. Concurrently, funding was made in schooling and certification — from only a handful of Stage I and II coaches to greater than 40 licensed coaches immediately, together with physiotherapists and trainers.
“That ecosystem needed to be created,” Manhas says. “Expertise was at all times there. Construction wasn’t.”
The outcomes started to point out. Gamers began rising not simply from Jammu or Srinagar, however from Rajouri, Poonch and the Chenab Valley — areas that hardly ever featured in choice conversations earlier than.
Making ready for India, not simply J&Ok
Publicity was the subsequent frontier.
One of the crucial vital technical choices was introducing red-soil pitches on the GGM Science Faculty floor in Jammu. Historically accustomed to native turf wickets, gamers typically struggled on red-soil surfaces widespread in western and southern India. “We didn’t need our boys to really feel alien after they travelled,” Manhas says. “So, we imported crimson soil from Mumbai.”
Right this moment, the sq. contains each red-soil and black-soil wickets, permitting gamers to arrange for diverse situations. Groups now attain venues early to acclimatise, recurrently compete in tournaments just like the Buchi Babu Invitational in Chennai, and use applicable match balls — Kookaburra for white-ball codecs, Take a look at balls for red-ball cricket.
“Our focus shifted from simply apply to match publicity. Video games matter greater than nets,” he says. “Efficiency turned the one choice criterion.”
Mithun Manhas was questioned for appointing Ajay Sharma as coach and Paras Dogra as captain.
| Picture Credit score:
Ok MURALI KUMAR
Mithun Manhas was questioned for appointing Ajay Sharma as coach and Paras Dogra as captain.
| Picture Credit score:
Ok MURALI KUMAR
Advantage over politics
Reforms, nonetheless, hardly ever come with out resistance. Manhas confronted criticism for dismantling the outdated quota system that divided participant illustration between Jammu and Srinagar. “In sport, you can not run on quotas,” he says firmly. “If all one of the best gamers are from Kashmir, we choose them. In the event that they’re from Jammu, we choose them. Advantage should prevail.”
He was additionally questioned for appointing Ajay Sharma as coach and Paras Dogra as captain.
“Individuals mentioned I used to be bringing in associates or folks from Delhi. That wasn’t true. It was strategic,” Manhas explains. “Paras had performed extensively in Himachal Pradesh — related situations. We wanted somebody who understood northern tracks. Ajay introduced expertise and self-discipline.” The help workers was equally curated, together with bowling coach P. Krishnakumar and fielding coach Dishant Yagnik. Stability changed fixed chopping and altering, and gamers responded with confidence.
Additionally learn | The system behind the miracle: How Jammu & Kashmir rebuilt to win Ranji Trophy
The mindset shift
Over the previous few seasons, Jammu and Kashmir have crushed heavyweights like Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai and Baroda in their very own yard. These weren’t flukes. They have been statements.
Manhas believes this journey doesn’t finish with successful the Ranji Trophy. Moderately, it’s about creating an id and giving younger cricketers in Jammu and Kashmir a pathway that didn’t exist earlier than.
“That is only the start. The massive problem left is the grounds. We now have a state-of-the-art academy in Jammu, with indoor amenities, a swimming pool and a gymnasium. We will likely be doing the identical in Kashmir. We wish stadiums to return up not solely in Jammu and Kashmir, however in Rajouri, Poonch and the Chenab area as effectively,” Manhas says.
He might have moved on to the BCCI, however Manhas appeared emotional as J&Ok lifted the title. After years of toil, there have been tears of pleasure.
Printed on Mar 11, 2026