All about Abhishek Sharma’s Lonely Network in Ahmedabad
Manhas recalled the process of setting up facilities to help J&K cricket rise since he took charge in 2021. “I have to thank Jay Shah, who was the then BCCI secretary, for giving us a free hand and funds to organize the facilities even though we were an ad-hoc committee. We made red-soil pitches in two stadiums so our team was ready to start playing on all types of pitches from April to every year. h every district has been sent to play off-season tournaments in different parts of the country. Now the plan is to invite other state teams to play invitational tournaments in J&K,” said Manhas. While 41-year-old Paras Dogra, who came in as a guest player, has led from the front as captain in the last two seasons, Manhas said the effort has never been to over-rely on outstation professional players. “Dogra’s experience has helped these young batsmen learn to bat for a longer period. But he is the only guest player in the team. We have to give the young players time to develop into leadership roles,” the former Delhi skipper said. Manhas also emphasized that there is a conscious effort to develop more qualified coaches in the region. “When I took charge, there was only one NCA level 1 coach in the state. Now we have nearly 40 level 2 coaches. This has helped in keeping talent in the pockets of the state,” he mentioned.