Last season when Jammu and Kashmir beat a star-studded Mumbai at the Bandra-Kurla Complex it was dismissed as a one-off thing. A year on, the Paras Dogra-led side proved that it was only the start of their phenomenal rise in Indian cricket.
On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir cruised to a six-wicket win over Bengal for their maiden entry into the Ranji Trophy final.
Needing 83 more runs to win, the visitors reached the target in about two hours on the fourth day at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani. They are likely to face Karnataka in the final.
Their achievement could possibly be put on par with Leicester winning the Premier League title in 2015-16 or Aizawl FC becoming the 2016-17 I-League champions.
When Vanshaj Sharma lifted Mukesh Kumar to clear the field for the winning hit on Day IV, his emotional teammates couldn’t hold themselves back and rushed on to the field. It was the triumph of years of toil and hard work for a region which has lacked the basic infrastructure for cricket till a few years ago.
It all began when BCCI president Mithun Manhas was in charge of their cricketing affairs and concentrated on setting up proper pitches for the game. Today, the Harbux Stadium in Srinagar and the College ground in Jammu have 10 wickets each with both red and black soil pitches.
At 41, Dogra’s role has been significant in managing a bunch of talented players. He has found a solid ally in former Delhi Ranji stalwart Ajay Sharma as coach.
The players’ performance has been equally impressive. Auqib Nabi is the second highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy this season and is hoping to break through into the national side.
“Last time we missed it in the quarters but we did all the hard work and we deserved it,” Nabi said after the victory.
“It’s a big achievement, never thought about it. I enjoyed the journey full of
ups and downs. The game makes you a strong human being,” Dogra, who became only the second batter after Wasim Jaffer to score 10,000 Ranji runs, said.
Bowling coach P. Krishnakumar summed it up well. “It’s indeed a huge, massive effort from our cricketers. We came close last time as well, before falling in the quarters, and this time, our players gave that extra push for us to go one or two steps further... Just shows the character of this squad,” Krishnakumar told The Telegraph.
“The presence of a majority of homegrown players is certainly one big advantage for this team. We have only one outstation player in Dogra. These guys have been playing together for quite some time and know each other’s strengths as well as the areas they need to work on. It’s a well-knit cohesive unit.”
Dogra was effusive in his praise of Nabi, who took 9/123 and scored 42 to be adjudged Man of the Match. “He is exceptional, has so much control over himself, has good work ethics and has been disciplined. He never gets satisfied and puts his hand up for any responsibility,” the captain said.
Last season, Ajinkya Rahane’s Mumbai had Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer in their ranks, but failed to stop them. They ultimately lost to Kerala in the quarter-finals, but the foundation had already been laid for this ascendancy.
Brief scores: J&K 302 and 126/4 (Vanshaj 43; Akash Deep 3/46). Bengal 328 and 99.
J&K won by 6 wickets.
