Mithun Manhas reflects on the groundwork which led to Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden foray into Ranji Trophy final

Five years ago, when Mithun Manhas returned to Jammu and Kashmir as part of the three-member sub-committee formed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he knew that the road ahead wouldn’t be easy.

Even though the team made it to the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy a year before, it was a challenge to get things back in shape, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. But being a first-class cricketer, and a former Jammu and Kashmir captain himself, Manhas’ vision was clear: to put the players’ interest first. Since taking charge, he ensured that players got whatever they wanted.

The rest, as they say, is history. As Jammu and Kashmir stormed into the final of the Ranji Trophy for the first time, beating Bengal at home in the semifinals, Manhas – now the president of the BCCI – believes that this effort will motivate thousands of young cricketers from both Jammu and Kashmir to pursue the sport.

“They have really made us proud. They are the heroes now. There are a lot of people back home, especially the young boys and girls, who would be watching them and looking up to the players as their heroes. So, in the final, they would be hoping for the team to bring its first trophy home. And, hopefully, they can do it,” Manhas told Sportstar on Wednesday.

READ | Jammu & Kashmir reaches Ranji Trophy final for first time after beating Bengal

Since its first participation in the Ranji Trophy in the 1959-60 season, Jammu and Kashmir was not considered as a major contender, despite some former India internationals – including the late Bishan Singh Bedi – coaching and mentoring the team. But, during the 2013-14 season, the team qualified for the knockouts for the first time in over a decade, and in the 2019-20 season, under its mentor Irfan Pathan, the team again reached the quarterfinals before going down to Karnataka.

Since then, though, it was forced again to go back to the drawing board with Manhas at the forefront, serving as the JKCA’s director of cricket.

“We always showed a glimpse of what J&K was all about, in terms of talent. When I went there in 2021 after being part of the sub-committee, I saw there was nothing. Even the square was something like a mere formality for having wickets, but they were not up to the mark,” Manhas said.

“It was a lot of hard work, and then luckily, we have a good administrator in Brig (retd.) Anil Gupta. Since, I belonged to J&K, and played cricket there before moving to Delhi, it helped me because I’ve grown up with all the cricketers and I knew what JKCA was all about…”

Setting up proper facilities was the top priority, and with the then BCCI secretary Jay Shah providing full support, things got a tad easy for the sub-committee. “I must compliment Jay bhai, because whenever and whatever we needed, he was always there,” Manhas said, adding that Shah’s visit to Jammu having a huge impact. “He was the first secretary in the BCCI who came to JKCA in 2022, since we got affiliated in 1957. No secretary from the BCCI had ever come to JKCA before. So, when Jay bhai came to the JKCA to see the conditions, he spoke to the players, the coaches, and saw the real situation…”

After his visit, Shah was in constant touch with Manhas, ensuring that the JKCA got all the facilities. “Whenever I told him about any requirement, he gave me the freedom and provided full support…”

With the BCCI backing them, the sub-committee made its first move by starting a talent hunt programme for cricketers across age groups, proving to be a real game-changer. “We realised that we have to start with identifying the talent and go to every district, every village and check how the players are. There was nothing that the institution had done before that. Earlier, there were clubs, but most of them were in dispute, and at the local level, beyond club cricket, there was nothing,” Manhas said.

In April 2022, the JKCA formally launched the talent hunt programme, receiving an overwhelming response. “Once we started with the programme, we formed a group from every three districts. And then we used to send our coaches to all the districts to have a camp and to look for more talent. We started from the Under-16 level and eventually went to the senior level. So, that’s how we started,” Manhas said.

“We started our season from April itself, and another major thing was to produce more quality coaches. Back then, we just had a handful of Level I or Level II coaches, but in a span of four years, we have more than 40 certified coaches, in both men’s and women’s categories. Now, we have physiotherapists, trainers…”

That, according to him, had a big impact on the game in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, Manhas knew that to achieve success, it was important to provide the players with proper exposure. The committee adopted a long-term approach by introducing a red-soil surface at the GGM Science College ground in Jammu.

“The idea was to ensure that our boys don’t struggle on the red-soil surfaces found in the western and southern parts of India,” he said.

The JKCA is developing about eight squares at the Science College ground, four of which are red-soil surfaces, while the other four are black-soil pitches tailored to suit local conditions. “Previously, we had local turf wickets, but we realised that if our players are to succeed across different conditions, they need to practise accordingly. So, we imported red soil from Mumbai,” Manhas said.

“As of now, we have got five red-soil wickets in the square and five for practice. So, that helped us a lot. And these days, whenever the team tours to a different city, the plan is to reach the city well in advance to get acclimated to the conditions,” he added.

And, like most associations do, JKCA now regularly sends its teams for the Buchi Babu invitational tournament in Chennai and also for the pre-season women’s tournaments. “We started inviting teams from other associations to play in Jammu. So, that’s how the whole process started. Now the best part is, whenever we did camps for the white-ball tournaments, we used the Kookaburra balls, whereas for red-ball cricket, the Test balls were used. So, over the last three or four years, the players have got used to how to bowl with the red balls. Once you get used to it, and practice with it day in and day out, it becomes easy,” he said. “And, our main idea was to ensure games for the team rather than practice sessions. For us, performance was the only criteria…”

However, things weren’t quite smooth.

“I remember drawing a lot of flak from journalists from Kashmir, because that’s been their agenda,” Manhas said. “Earlier, there used to be a 8:8 quota for players from Jammu and Srinagar, but that quota is not something that you can do in sports. Here, merit prevails. If the whole team is good from Kashmir, we will take them. And same was the case with Jammu…

“Now, you will be surprised to see a lot of players coming from Rajouri, Poonch, Chenab Valley, which are small villages. And players from those areas are also getting opportunities. And our women’s teams are doing well, too. So, there is a whole structure in place now,” Manhas said.

He remembers drawing criticisms for appointing Ajay Sharma as the coach and Paras Dogra as the captain. “I was accused of bringing my friend (Dogra) on board. And when Ajay took over as the coach, people started accusing me of bringing guys from Delhi,” he said. “But that was not the case. It was a well-planned decision. Ajay Sharma and Paras Dogra have made a lot of difference. Paras has played a lot of cricket in Himachal Pradesh, so those conditions are similar to Jammu and Kashmir. So, it was a conscious decision to get him on board because we thought that getting someone from the north would be better, because in the past, professionals who came from the south or west could not adjust to the conditions,” Manhas said.

“Paras’ leadership quality, his calmness and his experience has helped us a lot. All in all, we had a good combination in Paras as the captain and Ajay Sharma as the coach. Even our bowling coach (P. Krishnakumar) and fielding coach (Dishant Yagnik) are from the north, and having seen both from close quarters, we wanted someone like Krishnakumar who would have ample time for our fantastic bowling unit…”

As things settled down, it was also decided that there wouldn’t be too many chopping and changes in the team. While that gave players enough confidence, the team also reaped the benefits over the last couple of seasons as the team went on to beat heavyweights in their backyard.

And, as Jammu and Kashmir gears up for the final, possibly against Karnataka, Manhas believes that it will be all about being in the moment. “It’s all about the moment. There are two things that I have always believed in. One of them is the circle of influence. When they play the match, TV will be a distraction as the selectors will be watching, the expectation will be high, back home. These are all influences. But then comes a point where it is about the contest between the bat and the ball. And the focus has to be on the ball or the bat. And that is it. You just got to live in that moment. You need to go out there and enjoy,” Manhas said.

“I am sure if they play their best cricket, given what they have been doing, they will win [the Ranji Trophy]. Even if they don’t win, it doesn’t matter, because they have been consistent. They have beaten Bengal in Bengal. They have beaten MP in MP. Mumbai in Mumbai. Baroda in Baroda over the last few years. They are high on confidence. I know that Karnataka is an experienced side. And they will be playing at their home. But that’s fine. If you want to play for the country and win matches for the country, you have to pull this one off,” he said, adding: “It’s all about how you handle the pressure at this level. And no matter what the results are, they have been consistent. There will be times when we will fail, so it does not matter, as long as the winning percentage is on the higher side…”

The last couple of seasons have been a fairytale for Jammu and Kashmir. Now, it’s time to cross the final hurdle.

Published on Feb 18, 2026