Chief Minister Omar Abdullah praised the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team for advancing to their inaugural Ranji Trophy final, 16 years after their debut in the premier domestic tournament.
Jammu and Kashmir secured a spot in the Ranji Trophy final by defeating Bengal with a six-wicket victory on day four of their semi-final at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground. Seam-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi’s exceptional performance, claiming four wickets alongside Sunil Kumar, led to Bengal’s dismissal for 99 in the second innings on day three, tipping the scales in J&K’s favor.
Chasing a target of 126 runs, J&K successfully achieved victory in 34.4 overs, with Vanshaj Sharma and Abdul Samad contributing unbeaten scores of 43 and 30, respectively.
Chief Minister Abdullah commended the team and support staff for their collective success, expressing hopes for players from Jammu and Kashmir to play significant roles in the national team in the near future. He also acknowledged skipper Paras Dogra for surpassing 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy and Auqib Nabi for his outstanding performance of nine wickets in the semi-final, accumulating a total of 55 wickets this season.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha lauded the team’s achievement, stating, “Congratulations to the J&K cricket team on their remarkable victory in the Ranji Trophy semi-final!” He emphasized the pride of the entire union territory in the team’s exceptional performance and encouraged them to continue their winning streak, bringing further glory to Jammu and Kashmir.
