New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) On Wednesday, as Jammu and Kashmir beat Bengal by six wickets at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani to reach their first-ever Ranji Trophy final, BCCI President Mithun Manhas allowed himself to feel a rare moment of emotion – of elation on seeing the side achieve this historic moment.

“I’ll be honest with you, it’s a very satisfying feeling because of the effort that has gone behind it from where they are today, starting from June 2021. First of all, I would like to give credit to the BCCI and especially Jay (Shah) bhai for all of this because the way he believed in me and supported me throughout whatever I wanted as director of cricket in JKCA, has taken J&K cricket a long way forward.”

“Before that, we hadn’t done anything because once it came under the banner of the BCCI, then only things started to move. I think the credit also goes to the boys as well, for the way they played and hung in to win. It is hard to believe that we don’t have a stadium in Jammu, and still we have managed to come this far. So, it’s a struggle of a million.”

“I would like to congratulate all the cricketers who have struggled throughout their lives in J&K without the facilities and the support. It is very important that we do well in the final as well because it will change everything in J&K for good. But hats off to all and many, many thanks to BCCI for supporting us,” Manhas told IANS in an exclusive conversation.

Before being BCCI President, Manhas was a member of the sub-committee to put a crisis-laden JKCA on track in all ways, especially with them being in the news for mismanagement and corruption. Among the sweeping changes Manhas oversaw as the sub-committee member was the introduction of a grassroots talent hunt.

It has begun to bear fruit, as seen from Sunil Kumar taking a four-fer alongside in-form Auqib Nabi and bowling out Bengal for 99 in their second innings, which paved the way for J&K to chase down 126 on day four.

“Even though we don’t have a ground in Jammu and we still play in a college ground, the BCCI has been instrumental with their help. Now, J&K has red soil wickets. We have now about 10 red soil and black soil wickets (in Srinagar and Jammu). We have been practising with the SG Test balls. We have started with the talent hunt in April and play cricket throughout the year.

“Sunil Kumar is a product of the talent hunt. He comes from a small village, and the struggle of the boys, not even the boys, even the girls has been so much. But I think this will change the scenario of J&K. Hopefully we’ll have lots of stadiums now. At least we’ll have four or five grounds and one or two stadiums coming up in J&K,” added Manhas, who played domestic cricket for J&K and Delhi and amassed 9714 runs in 157 first-class games.

When Vanshaj Sharma sealed a historic win for J&K with a six over Mukesh Kumar’s head to trigger jubilant celebrations in the camp, the cricketer and administrator in Manhas felt the emotion way back at his residence.

“I was watching it. Actually, my father is not well, and I just told him to go to the hospital, and I’ll follow him, as I just wanted to see this historic moment. So, it’s a great feeling and I can’t express it in words. Even my mother called me up to talk about this historic moment.”

Manhas, who left Jammu as a young cricketer after being denied selection in the senior setup due to what he described as political interference and then came back in his twilight years as a coach-cum-player, said the transformation of the association has been personal from his perspective.

“The best thing that happened to J&K was it came under the banner of the BCCI. Then we had the freedom, even though I had faced flak for appointing Ajay Sharma and Paras Dogra as coach and captain respectively.

“The way I supported the boys and stuck with them, as we didn’t want any change, because normally the trend in J&K has been at least 30 or 40 players play in a season. But that has been stopped in J&K now and earlier there was a quota of eight players each from the Jammu and Kashmir regions – so we have stopped that, and it’s all merit-based now.

“Now we go to play Buchi Babu, JP Atray and other tournaments. Other teams come to J&K to play and that’s how we select teams now. The whole system has been revamped and I’m glad these boys have done it. They have put in a great show and the effort has been there. I must congratulate them and the staff – Ajay Sharma, bowling coach P Krishna Kumar, fielding coach Dishant Yagnik and the whole management, including Majid Dar, the Srinagar guy who’s been helping us.

“He’s been taking care of the ground in Srinagar and he’s been very helpful, very supportive. Then in Jammu Brigadier Anil Gupta, who’s been handling the administration, has been excellent and is well-supported by Vivek Khajuria there.

“They have toiled day in, day out, and everybody has played their part – the CAC, Abdul Qayyum, Vidya Bhaskar, Meenu Salathia. It’s a very, very emotional feeling when J&K beats all teams – home and away – to enter the final. It’s really a very satisfying and proud feeling for everybody. All in all, a great effort, and these things will help me to stay stronger and take J&K as well as Indian cricket to the next level as well,” elaborated Manhas.

Looking ahead, Manhas made clear that this milestone, significant as it is, represents only the beginning. “It’s not only for me, but also for the players who have been playing cricket since J&K has been associated with the BCCI. It got affiliation in 1957 and played its first Ranji Trophy game in 1959-60. Since then, J&K cricket has come a long way.

“But yes, the aim is still to win the Ranji Trophy, have an international stadium and host international games in J&K and that will change the whole scenario. The fight continues till we get girls and boys from J&K into the Indian team. Hopefully, we’ll see the superstars and role models coming through the ranks from J&K.

“A lot of boys and girls that take up cricket are looking at them and I feel that will be a great achievement. All of this is just the start, and hopefully, God will be kind to us and things will go in the right way.”

He also reserved special praise for current ICC Chairman Jay Shah, who, as the BCCI Secretary, helped Manhas in being the driving force behind the rise of J&K cricket.

“I must thank Jay bhai for this because he was the then secretary when the JKCA sub-committee was formed. Everybody tried their level best that I should be thrown out of JKCA because I didn’t listen to them. It was all cricket and cricket for me, but the way he supported and backed me was immense because he believed in me.

“I played so much of cricket and he knew I could do things and force a turnaround. I called him up and thanked him for that and I think he’s the man who’s been instrumental for women’s cricket as well. When I said, ‘We got to do something for the girls’, he said, ‘Yes, you must do work for the rise of women’s cricket.’ Not only in other parts of the country, but in J&K as well.

“He would say, ‘Whatever the BCCI can do, we’re there to help you’ and he supported me all out because if you don’t get the support, it’s hard to do things. When you have that support and you have the backing of the board behind you, things do work.”

J&K will now await their opponents, Karnataka, in the Ranji Trophy final to be played from February 24 to 28, with Manhas dreaming of more achievements for the side.

“If you do the right things, somehow you manage to cross the line. I don’t know how, but sometimes you don’t see where you’re heading, but you have faith in the almighty God. Then when you do the right thing, and something or the other clicks.

“When people who are trying to put you down, you just come and rise up again and things happen. The people also back in J&K, they want the team to win and it’s their blessings as well. All in all, everything has worked out well for J&K so far and hopefully things will be better in the future as well,” he concluded.

–IANS

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