He was unanimously elected the first ever president-elect by the BCCI at its 79th annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai late last month, after Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Rajasthan Cricket Association and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association - all from the Central Zone - proposed his name.
"It was on the lines of the International Cricket Council (ICC), where a president-elect gets to understand the ropes of the job before getting elected. Shashank Manohar is the best man for the job," said Lalit Modi, a BCCI vice-president at the AGM.
Shashank Manohar is currently one of the vice presidents, and has been the head of the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) since 2001.
"Central Zone has been allotted the president's post," announced BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty at the AGM. Shashank Manohar's term as the BCCI president will expire in 2010. Assuming that the Central Zone does not opt for a change then, he will continue to head the BCCI for a third year. In fact, he will also be in-charge when the 10th World Cup is held on the subcontinent in 2011.
The BCCI has recently incorporated a by-law for the post of president-elect, by amending its ancient constitution at a special general body meeting. The by-law ensures there will be no acrimonious elections for the plum position of the BCCI president at any of the AGMs till September 2011.
Besides the fact that he is very close to Pawar, his own impressive administrative skills, credentials and track record may have paved the way for Shashank Manohar to be elected BCCI president-designate. Born in Nagpur on September 29, 1957, he hails from a famous family of legal luminaries. Both his father and grandfather were lawyers. And so are his wife and son. Shashank Manohar is the man behind many a successful court battle that the BCCI has fought and won over the years.
"All I can say is I'm happy being elected the president-designate. It shows confidence of the BCCI members in me and my ability as an administrator. But I can't say any more at the moment. In fact, it would be foolish on my part to say anything right now. There is still an entire year to go before I'll be made the president. Of course, I'll try my utmost to enhance the image of the BCCI and carry Indian cricket forward," the affable Shashank Manohar told Rediff.com
A bright student, Shashank Manohar did his B.Sc. (Botany, Chemistry and Zoology) and L.L.B degrees from Nagpur University.
Though no one in his family played cricket, he was talented enough to carve a niche for himself in junior cricket. He was a very promising all-rounder -- dependable right-hand opening batsman and useful off-spinner. He played for Nagpur University and also represented Vidarbha with distinction in the Under-22 cricket events.
"I was a fairly good cricketer and could have played in the Ranji Trophy for my state team. But I began practicing law at the age of 21. This naturally deprived me of playing first-class cricket for want of time. But if I had continued playing, I'm sure I would have proved to be a successful first-class cricketer, too," he said.
After having established himself as a leading lawyer, Shashank Manohar decided to join cricket administration. He became an executive committee member of the VCA in 1983. He was elected vice-president of the VCA in 1991. He finally became the VCA president in 1997 and again in 2001. "I wasn't involved in cricket administration for many years in between because of my invariably tight schedule as a professional lawyer," he remarked.
Though known and respected as a "thorough gentleman" among cricket officials, and though he has managed to steer clear of controversies most of the time, Shashank Manohar had invited the wrath of his countrymen, including the media, for giving a green top to the Indian and the Australian teams for the third Test at Nagpur in the late 2004.
The Aussie fast bowlers, particularly Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie, made the most of VCA's magnanimity, and devastated the hapless Indian batsmen on the minefield and won the Test by a whopping margin of 342 runs.
He was accused of deliberately preparing such a wicket just to teach a lesson to his political opposition. So much so, some even pilloried him as a traitor. But he brushed aside such charges as "baseless", saying he was not dictated by anyone and had received no instructions whatsoever from the BCCI or the Indian team management. And even if they did, he would not have obeyed, he emphasized.
He revealed that he only acted according to a circular the BCCI had issued in the early 2004. It called for sporting pitches that would have enough bounce to encourage quicker bowers and also improve the strokeplay of batsmen.
