New Delhi: BCCI president Mithun Manhas, who was the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) ad hoc committee until September last year, said the cricket infrastructure in the state will develop faster once the state association gets government approval.
“Everything is in place to form the state association. They have sought approval from the government. Once completed, BCCI funds will be unlocked for improving infrastructure in the state. Currently, they play matches at the Habx Stadium in Srinagar and the University Stadium in Jammu. Work on constructing a proper cricket stadium with proper facilities can begin immediately,” Manhas told TOI on Wednesday.
Manhas recalled the process of building facilities for J&K cricket since taking office in 2021. “I must thank Jay Shah, the then BCCI secretary, who gave us the freedom and funds to organize the facilities even though we were just an ad hoc committee. We built clay courts in two stadiums so that the teams were ready to play on various courts across India. We used to start our talent search program from April every year and visited every district. The teams were sent to different parts of the country for off-season tournaments and now there are plans to invite teams from other states to J&K for invitational tournaments,” said Manhas.
Paras Dogra, 41, a guest player and captain the past two seasons, leads the way in the frontcourt, but Manhas said the effort was never one that relied heavily on out-of-town pros. “Dogra’s experience has helped these young batsmen learn to bat longer. But he is the only guest player in the team. We need to give time to the young players to develop their leadership roles,” the former Delhi captain claimed.
Manhas also emphasized that the district has made a conscious effort to develop more qualified coaches. “When I came on board, there was only one NCA Division I coach in the state. Now we have close to 40 Division II coaches. This helps develop talent in the state,” he said.
