Street-smart and people-friendly: Mithun Manhas climbed to BCCI top, but toughest challenge awaits

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.

Manhas joins BCCI after making impact at J&K

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, 45, ensured that he was hands on with the job, and under his guidance the cricketing facilities in Jammu and Srinagar received a massive facelift.

More from First Cricket

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Final LIVE Updates: First IND vs PAK final promises more drama and controversies From Kohli to Rohit: Abhishek Sharma eyes historic records in India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final

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, told PTI.

Task-oriented is the key word here.

The BCCI’s president post comes with heaps of responsibility and unparalleled visibility and scrutiny, which mandates a person of immense mental fortitude.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

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.

Manhas’ administrative skill set to be tested

But Manhas does not have that luxury. He may be adept in administration at 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.

Here 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 under test,” a former BCCI official cautioned.

However, there is another contour to the personality of Manhas. He had a long first-class career across 157 matches scoring 9714 runs and during that nearly two-decade long journey the right-hander was part of the Delhi dressing room that had players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Akash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant etc at various times.

Manhas was also their captain for a number of seasons without really getting over-awed by the presence of stars, and generally keeping the dressing room in harmony.

Manhas has this lovely way of keeping relationships and it was reflected when he was associated with Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans in the IPL when old mates Sehwag and Nehra moved to coaching roles.

“He was always a people’s person. Don’t forget he had been a Delhi captain in a team that had a lot of big stars, India players. They played under him and he managed them fairly well,” Chopra had recalled when the news of Manhas getting the top post first emerged.

Manhas has also seen his share of rough days. When he shifted to Jammu and Kashmir in the later years of his career as a player-cum-coach, he had a tiff with some of the players including then skipper Parvez Rasool.

It led to Manhas making himself unavailable for a Ranji Trophy match against Rajasthan in 2017, revealing a tougher side.

“Yes, Manhas is quite friendly and approachable as a person. But at the same time, he will not stand down from a fight where he thinks the truth is on his side.

“He might be originally from Jammu, but he has learned the street smartness and tough nature of Delhi over the years,” said former JKCA administrator.

Street smart, tough, people friendly, Manhas will require each of those traits in his new role.