Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on Twitter that he was headed to Hubbali, the venue of what definitively looks like the finest moment for J&K cricket, as they are on the brink of claiming the Ranji Trophy.
J&K lead by 477 runs with Qamran Iqbal on 94 (160) batting along with Sahil Lotra 16 (41), with their second innings steadied at 186/4 after they were 11/2. But the writing has been on the wall with their talismanic pacer to put them in the driver’s seat. His 5-fer included scalps of , Smaran Ravichandran, to which he added overnight defiant centurion .
It sets up Day 5 perfectly, and resulted in CM Abdullah flying out to witness the state’s first ever triumph. “On our way to Hubli to cheer the J&K cricket team as they play the final of the Ranji Trophy. They’ve already made lakhs of people so very proud of their achievements by reaching the final. I’m really looking forward to spending the day tomorrow in the stands cheering them on,” he tweeted.
Earlier, the 55-year-old had posted about his excitement at following the events from north Karnataka. “one good bowling innings away from a maiden Ranji Trophy title, but the pitch has little in it for the bowlers” J&K are playing like they were born for Ranji Trophy finals, with confidence & flair plus a bit of aggression when needed. I’ve never followed a domestic cricket match so closely,” he wrote.
But, J&K has completely dominated the match, starting with the 1000+ deliveries their batters faced to put up a commanding first innings score, before Auqib rattled the Karnataka star studded lineup. 3 of J&K’s batsmen played out over 150 balls, while 3 others batted for over 100.
“Well begun is half done. Very encouraging start by the J&K Ranji team. A century from Pundir and two half centuries from Hassan & Samad have laid a strong foundation,” Abdullah wrote after the first day. “The only worry was watching batter Dogra injured after scoring only 9. Hope he makes a quick recovery. Now all of us are hoping the team is able to build on this dream beginning. Go team J&K,” he had said.
