Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 28 (ANI): Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh extended his best wishes and hopes that his former teammate and the newly appointed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, Mithun Manhas, will carry forward the legacy during his tenure.
The former Delhi captain was elected as the 37th BCCI President at the 94th Annual General Meeting of the board on Sunday. Manhas was the only person in the BCCI presidency picture, which was left vacant after his predecessor, Roger Binny, stepped down in August. After Binny’s departure, Vice President Rajeev Shukla assumed the mantle in an interim capacity.
Harbhajan, delighted about the BCCI continuing its pattern of appointing former cricketers to serve as the board’s president. According to him, handing such responsibility to former cricketers will present them with an opportunity to give something back to the game.
“Obviously, when a cricketer heads the body of cricket, his experience is seen there, and it is a good decision. It has been happening for the last three terms. It is always a great note for a cricketer, also, to give something back to the game,”
Harbhajan said while speaking to reporters. I have played a lot of cricket with Mithun, and we have played together since our Under-19 days, and I am very happy for him,” he said while speaking to the reporters.
While highlighting recent progress, Harbhajan hopes Mithun will work towards providing and improving facilities, which will ensure that no youngster is left behind due to a lack of infrastructure.
“I hope that the things that he did not get as a cricketer, in terms of facilities, I hope that what he learned from his life, he will do such a good job for the coming generation, so that no child of that generation, of any class, of any area, should be left behind due to infrastructure,” the 45-year-old added.
“A lot of development is currently underway. If we talk about the whole of India, new grounds are being built. You have seen a huge setup in Pondicherry for cricket. Cricket is going to such small places. So, credit goes to BCCI, and I hope that Mithun will carry forward that legacy and will try to do even better,” he concluded.
Manhas, who will turn 46 in October, was born in Jammu and Kashmir on October 12, 1979. During his career, he never got the opportunity to play for India, but established himself as a stalwart in the domestic circuit. After pulling the curtains down on his career in 2017, Manhas was part of the sub-committee appointed by the BCCI to run the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association.
Additionally, Manhas has gained experience as a coach with various teams, including serving as the batting consultant for the Bangladesh men’s Under-19 Team, as well as IPL sides Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Gujarat Titans.
Speaking to the media after his appointment, Manhas said, “It is a huge responsibility and I give my assurance that I will be committed to doing it to the best of my abilities, dedication and passion. It is the best board in the world. We have the best players, best facilities, and we have the support of millions of people behind us. The only agenda is development and to take BCCI and Indian Cricket forward.” (ANI)
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