Mithun Manhas elected new BCCI president

Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas was elected the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unopposed, along with other members, including the board’s secretary Devajit Saikia, during its 94th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its headquarters in Mumbai. The 45-year-old Manhas became the 37th president of the all-powerful cricket body after he succeeded former India cricketer Roger Binny, who resigned from the post last month after turning 70.

Manhas is the third consecutive First-Class cricketer to have taken over as the board’s president after Binny and former captain Sourav Ganguly.  Manhas, who featured in 157 First-Class, 130 List A and 55 IPL matches between 1997-98 and 2016-17, had emerged as the frontrunner following an informal meeting of the board’s power brokers in New Delhi on September 20 ahead of the final day of nomination. He also served as the director of a three-member ad-hoc committee formed by the BCCI to manage the affairs of the Jammu and Kashmir State Cricket Association (JKCA) due to mismanagement.

Manhas, who has an impressive tally of 9,714 First-Class runs with 27 centuries to go with 4,126 runs in List A matches, said he would rely on his experience as a player and administrator. The AGM also confirmed a few other key appointments with BCCI secretary Saikia and IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal retaining their posts, while former India cricketer and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Raghuram Bhat taking charge as the treasurer.

Prabhtej Bhatia moved from the post of BCCI’s treasurer to joint secretary, replacing Rohan Gauns Dessai, and Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah became the apex council member as general body representative. “There was no contestant against any of the candidates who had submitted their nominations for the apex council posts. They have been selected unopposed,” Saikia said.

Former India internationals RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha were inducted into the men's selection panel, while ex-Tamil Nadu batter S Sharath returned to the junior selection committee. Sharath was a member of the senior selection committee till now.  The Ajit Agarkar-chaired committee now comprises former India players Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, RP Singh and Ojha. In the women's selection panel, former India cricketer Amita Sharma replaced Neetu David as its chairperson.

Sharma, a right-arm seamer who played five Tests, 116 ODIs, and 41 T20Is between 2002 and 2014, will be joined by former India players. Shyama Dey, Jaya Sharma and Sravanthi Naidu as new inductees. Shyama retained her position.  Their tenure will begin after the women's World Cup, which begins on Tuesday with co-hosts India and Sri Lanka facing off in the tournament opener in Guwahati.

Former Delhi captain is a canny operator

Bengaluru: Mithun Manhas’ rapid ascension to the BCCI presidency, which was ratified at the AGM on Sunday, is symbolic of the decision-makers’ desire to keep the highest cricket administration post in the country firmly in the hands of cricketers. That Manhas was chosen ahead of some big names, such as Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh, might have added an element of surprise to the call, but the former Delhi captain is a canny operator who can instantly gauge the ebb and flow of developments. His body of work with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) as its Director of Cricket Operations offers tangible evidence. Generally, such posts are fancy in nature and the occupants just try to complete the stint without being at the wrong end of the powers that be.

But Manhas ensured that he was hands-on with the job, and under his guidance, the cricketing facilities in Jammu and Srinagar received a massive facelift. Manhas played a big part in the pitches in the state getting relaid, which had a cathartic influence on its cricketers. “The new pitches have certainly improved the playing standards of the state cricketers. They now have more confidence while facing bigger teams like Mumbai or Baroda. “There are now several players from the area in the North Zone (for Duleep Trophy). Certainly, the administration has been working hard to improve things, and the presence of someone as experienced and task-oriented as Manhas has been quite helpful,” P Krishna Kumar, the J&K bowling coach, said. Task-oriented is the keyword here.  The BCCI’s president post comes with heaps of responsibility and unparalleled visibility and scrutiny, which mandates a person of immense mental fortitude.

The two previous board presidents — Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny - came with high reputations as players and commanded immediate respect from everyone around, and it, in a way, helped them stay above questions. But Manhas does not have that luxury. He may be adept in administration at the state-level but the BCCI officialdom is a tough place, and now the 45-year-old needs to construct his own space in the corridors of power among some veteran administrators. Manhas’ inherent diligence and the willingness to put in the hard yards will help him in that task.  “First couple of months will be rather easy for him, you know, the honeymoon period. But things will get heated during later months as India is also scheduled to host a World Cup (T20 WC next year), and his administrative skills will be put to the test,” a former BCCI official cautioned.