JAMMU, Jul 27: With his recent appointment as the manager of the India men’s cricket team for the Test and ODI series against Afghanistan, Rajesh Dhar — a veteran manager, administrator, physical educationist, commentator, mentor, sports columnist, selector and coach from Jammu & Kashmir — has joined the elite league of heavyweight personalities serving Team India as Administrative Manager.
BCCI Level‑I certified coach, Dhar brings wide domestic experience to the role. He has served the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association in numerous capacities, including Ranji Trophy team manager, senior women’s team manager, U‑23 men’s team manager, U‑17 men’s coach and assistant coach of JKCA’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 side.
A familiar face in J&K cricket circles, Dhar has been a driving force who has helped convert local talent into success and who carries countless untold stories from the field.
Dhar is now among the list of heavyweight cricketing/administrative personalities serving Team India as Administrative Managers including Raj Singh Dungarpur, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Anurag Thakur, Niranjan Shah, Sanjay Jagdale, Rajeev Shukla, Raghuram Bhatt and many more.
Raj Singh Dungarpur served as the Manager of the Indian cricket team on four overseas tours: 1982 (England), 1984–85 (Pakistan), 1986 (England), and 2005–06 (Pakistan). He was a prominent cricket administrator who also held roles as the chairman of the national selection committee and the President of the BCCI.
Jagmohan Dalmiya officially served as the administrative manager (or team manager) of the Indian cricket team during their 1987 tour of Australia and New Zealand, which included the 1987 Reliance World Cup. He has also served as the President of the BCCI.
Anurag Thakur was the Administrative Manager of the Indian cricket team during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy held in South Africa. Prior to this, he also served as the manager of the Indian Under-19 team during the 2001-02 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He has also served as the President of BCCI and Union Sports Minister.
Niranjan Shah served as the administrative (tour) manager of the Indian cricket team during specific overseas tours in the late 2000s, most notably during the limited-overs leg of India’s tour of New Zealand in early 2009. He also served as the secretary of the BCCI.
Sanjay Jagdale served as the Administrative/Team Manager of the Indian cricket team during the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. He also took on the managerial role on a few other overseas tours prior to being elected to prominent administrative positions within the BCCI including secretary.
Rajeev Shukla served as the administrative and media manager of the Indian cricket team during the 2002 NatWest Series in England. He was officially appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in June 2002 for that specific tour. He is presently vice president of the BCCI.
Raghuram Bhatt served as the Administrative Manager for the Indian Cricket team during the home T20 series against England in January 2025. He is presently serving as Treasurer of BCCI.
Arun Dhumal served as the administrative manager for the India A cricket team during their overseas tours of Australia and New Zealand, prior to taking over as the Treasurer of the BCCI. He is presently Chairman of IPL.
Jaywant Lele never served as the official Administrative Manager of the Indian Cricket Team. He was primarily a cricket administrator who served as the Secretary (BCCI) and as an assistant manager on a few international tours.
Former First-Class cricketer and prominent administrator Avinash Vaidya was the Administrative Manager of Team India for Ireland tour, while former Joint Secretary Assam Cricket Association and General Secretary Cricket Club of Dibrugarh, Kamakhya Saikia was the Administrative Manager of India Cricket team for recently concluded Zimbabwe T20I series.