J&K CRICKET TEAM SET TO CREATE HISTORY // RANJI TROPHY

J&K CRICKET TEAM SET TO CREATE HISTORY

The J&K Cricket team is in the finals of the Ranji Trophy Cricket tournament, 2026. They have reached there for the first time in the history of the tournament. The match is scheduled to begin on February 24, 2026 at Hubbali, Karnataka.

The team is a bunch of novices or non entities or unknowns. But they have stuck together. They have fought together to reach the climax. They have eclipsed several teams of high repute to reach where they stand today.

I wish them good luck and victory.

Karnataka have won the tournament 8 times in its previous editions. They are a very strong team with a large number of heavyweights turning up for them. Some of them wear the Team India Caps.

It seems the competition would be fiery as the stakes are high..

When we talk to the 61 year old Ajay Sharma, head coach of J&K cricket team, you feel like listening to a gripping film script. It has a stirring storyline, powerful performances, punch line and redemption.

He describes his journey as a rebirth. It is a sentiment rooted in experience. His playing career was once derailed by match fixing allegations. He was charged. But he was cleared by the judiciary. He had to rebuild his life and reputation from scratch. He admits that life has changed so much for him. He conveyed that it was his second birth after he had been through a lot of difficulties. He had to rebuild his life and reputation from scratch.

He began his stint as the head coach of J&K Cricket team when the team was nowhere. The first thing he had done was, he had abolished the quota system for selection to the J&K Cricket team. Hailing from Jammu or Kashmir was not the standard. Merit was.

The first year was tough.

The mindset of the players was different, it was a hit and miss or survive attitude. They were attuned for IPL alone. It took the coach sometime to understand them. He believed if they were groomed mentally, their mindset would change. It happened.  It wasn’t easy. The first year they did not warm up to the coach. Their attitude towards to him was like, “Get lost.” He was disappointed

Then he asked them to write a review at the end of the first season. 13 players wrote they didn’t like being coached by Ajay. It was an awakening. He changed himself from being a strict coach to going down to their level, communicating and understanding them. He has scripted a remarkable resurgence. He has instilled culture, belief and a winning mindset into a side that has defied expectations.

The team has stuck together since then though nobody had given them much thought

He spoke candidly on the team’s rise and their hardships as well as the hunger that fuels their campaign. It was as if he was quoting Surya Kumar Yadav, “We started thinking more about the next day, taking one step at a time. There will be pressure. If there is no pressure there won’t be any fun in playing this game. We have not been thinking too much about how we plan to start on our campaign. I never said we don’t have any fear. I only said that we are not worried about anything. For us, performance matters. Not reputation or names. It’s a hunger for success that drives the players.”

His message to the team was clear, “We play the game, not the opposition. We are going out to win. Focus on your job. The result will take care of itself.  It’s just a matter of being out there and seeing who is under pressure first.”

“A title win changes your fortunes. It could open doors. A champion team can beat a team of champions. Life always gives you a second chance. You learn the lesson. You will find a way back even after failure looms large. We don’t ever listen to whispers on the law of averages catching up”

He further reveals, “Now many friends from across the world are calling me and telling me that they are proud of my work and are rooting for the team to win the championship.”

He was of high praise for Auqib Nabi, the pace bowling sensation.  He said, “Auqib Nabi is so focused and hardworking that the selection is hardly on his mind. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in skill.  Wherever he is, his mindset remains the same. His concentration makes him one of the best. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for, in skill. Wherever he is, his mindset remains the same. His concentration makes him one of the best. He concentrates on doing the right thing and he reaps the reward.”

J&K is certainly a champion team and not a team of champions.

Good luck to the champion team

 

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