Ranji Trophy | Red-ball deeds make Jammu & Kashmir a dominant force: Rasool

Red-ball deeds make Jammu & Kashmir a dominant force: Rasool

When Parvez Rasool debuted for India against Bangladesh in an ODI in June 2014, he broke the glass ceiling. It was the first time a cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir was representing the country.

The latest breaking-the-barrier moment has come in the Ranji Trophy, with the State ready to play its maiden final, against Karnataka in Hubballi from Tuesday. And the former skipper, quite understandably, is chuffed.

“It’s a proud moment for all of us associated with J & K cricket,” Rasool told The Hindu. “Coming from the smaller States, these things matter a lot. And red-ball cricket is real cricket – batting, bowling and fielding are all tested and for long periods.”

J & K played the Ranji quarterfinals in 2013-14 and 2019-20 under Rasool’s captaincy, but it was last year that it turned into a force to reckon with. It lost out on a semifinal berth after conceding an agonisingly narrow one-run first-innings lead to Kerala but has bounced back from that heartbreak sensationally.

“I will go back to the time when Bishen Singh Bedi sir came into J & K cricket (2011) and that’s when our mindset changed,” said the 37-year-old, who played 75 Ranji matches.

“Before that, participation was enough. But the great man told us ‘beta, go and compete. You have the skills’. Getting to the quarters, and then the final now, are all part of the same process.