Overall, a very good journey for us: Uttarakhand coach Jha

Uttarakhand coach Manish Jha reflects on a successful journey, highlighting progress despite Ranji Trophy semifinal loss.

Once Karnataka made a mammoth 736 in the first innings of its Ranji Trophy semifinal, it was clear that Uttarakhand was on the mat. And as it turned out, Devdutt Padikkal & Co. progressed by virtue of a massive 503-run first-innings lead.

While these huge numbers are indicative of the gulf in class, it would be harsh to judge Uttarakhand based on these figures alone.

The hill State became a First Class team only in 2018-19, and has steadily improved, reaching the last-eight thrice, before its maiden run to the semifinals this edition.

“Overall, it was a very good journey for us,” head coach Manish Jha told reporters on Thursday. “We had to break that [quarterfinal] barrier and reach the semifinals, and we did that.

“Of course, we were trying to play the final, but unfortunately, we couldn’t deliver here. We didn’t take wickets in the first session on day one. We dropped catches and couldn’t capitalise. But for our players it was an amazing run.”

Jha stated that it was a shift in mindset that helped break the quarterfinal jinx.