Mithun minhas

Ranji Trophy: 67 years after Jammu & Kashmir first appeared in the Ranji Trophy, they now stand on the verge of winning the title when they take on Karnataka in the title clash in Hubbali starting on Tuesday. Not long ago, using Jammu & Kashmir and playing the Ranji Trophy final is something anyone wouldn’t have written in the same sentence.

For decades, J&K team was a footnote in Indian domestic cricket - a team that showed up, occasionally surprised, and went home. At best, they were termed party spoilers, while hosting games was more of a tourism package for the visiting sides after pocketing an easy win.

Now, on the eve of playing their first-ever Ranji Trophy final, everyone is rooting for them to achieve championship glory. The journey to reach here has been a hard way - after losing to Mumbai in Srinagar, which stung them hard, J&K beat Rajasthan at home, before going on to beat Delhi in Delhi and defeat Hyderabad in Jammu.