In a spectacular display of team work, Jammu and Kashmir have made it to the Ranji Trophy elite group finals for the first time ever since first win over Services 44 years back thus etching their name into the annals of Indian domestic cricket history.
J&K defeated star-studded side of Bengal by six wickets on their home ground showcasing the allround performance with bowlers leading from the front.
Resuming from overnight score of 43 for two, J&K rode on a superb batting display by Vanshaj Sharma and Abdul Samad and achieved the target comfortably for the loss of four wickets.
Vanshaj remained unbeaten on 43 off 83 balls, studded with four boundaries and a winning six. He showed true character, serenity, patience and solidity in his unbeaten innings while Samad,who scored explosive 82 in the first innings, contributed power-packed 30 off 27 balls with a boundary and three sixes. Shubham Singh Pundir scored valuable 27 off 58 balls with five boundaries.
Akash Deep was the most successful bowler for Bengal, who captured three wickets conceding 46 runs in his 15 overs, while Mohammed Shami, who captured eight wickets in the first innings, claimed the other wicket.
Back home Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah congratulated the team with appreciations for the team management and JKCA Administration. Several prominent cricketers also complimented the team for scripting history.
The J&K’s stunning Ranji Trophy resurgence has electrified India's domestic circuit, trans forming a perennial underdog into a knockout-stage powerhouse.
Spearheading this revolution was Mithun Manhas, former Director of Cricket Operations and Development at the JKCA and now BCCI president-elect. A stalwart of J&K and Delhi Ranji teams with IPL pedigree, Manhas has instilled unwavering continuity, nurturing a stable core of talent from chaos to consistency.
The JKCA Administrators,Brig. Anil Gupta and Vidya Bhaskar (Member, Cricket Operations and Development); CAC Members Abdul Qayoom, Vijay Sharma, and Meenu Singh Slathia;Selectors Sarabjeet Singh, Dhruv Mahajan, and Arshad Bhat; Coaching Staff ledby Ajay Sharma, P. Krishna kumar, Dishant Yagnik, Sunny Kumar, and Chirag Pandya; and the full management under Hilal Ahmed Zargar, Ravi Sharma and SkipperParas Dogra.
BRIEF SCORES: Bengal 1st Innings: 328: Sudip Kumar Gharami 146, Abhimanyu Easwaran 49; Auqib Nabi 5/87,Sunil Kumar 3/41
J&K 1st Innings: 302: Abdul Samad 82, Paras Dogra 58, Auqib Nabi 42; Mohammed Shami 8/90, Mukesh Kumar 2/78.
Bengal 2nd Innings: 99: Shahbaz Ahmed 24, Sunil Kumar 4/27; Auqib Nabi 4/46, Yudhvir Singh 2/29.
J&K 2nd Innings: 126: Vanshaj Sharma 43*, Abdul Samad 30*, Shubham Singh Pundir 27; Akash Deep 3/46, Shami 1/24.
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