Not much was expected of them when they had qualified for Group A of the Ranji Trophy this season. Barring their captain Parvez Rasool, there weren’t any notable names. Observers expected J&K to be pushovers in a star-studded group. All that changed, however, courtesy a thumping win against Mumbai in their opening game. There was a certain romance associated with that win against 40-time Ranji Trophy champions. It was the moment of reckoning for this team of underdogs. It made people sit up and take note of this young and enthusiastic side tutored by former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi. Opposition teams could ill afford to see them as pushovers anymore. A win against a quality opposition so early in the tournament should have given them a headstart against other teams in the group. Also read: Shubham Khajuria, the bright spot Sadly, that has not been the case for J&K. Five games down the line, J&K are battling inconsistency. Placed fifth with 15 points, they need to win the upcoming match against the Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi to stay relevant in the competition. In the five games following the Mumbai win, J&K have drawn three games and lost two, making some observers believe the win against Mumbai was just an aberration. In these games, their batting has looked abysmal and the fielding pedestrian. In the match against Karnataka, Robin Uthappa was dropped twice and in the process, he notched a century. Losing Shubham Khajuria — centurion in the Mumbai match — to an injury have not helped matters. Skipper confident Also read: J&K win against Mumbai However, Rasool exudes confidence of a turnaround in the game against Railways. “It is an important game for us. Whatever has happened in the last five games are behind us now. We will approach this game with a positive mindset and will look for an outright win. I think this side has the potential to do it. However, what will be crucial is how the weather behaves over the next four days.” The green top here has made the J&K captain more confident. “The wicket here will be suitable for our swing bowlers,” he says. Despite the inconsistent performances in the last five games, he reckons there are numerous positives. The 25-year-old picked 19-year-old Khajuria, pacer Umar Nazir and middle-order batsman Ram Dayal as players for the future. Rasool feels being the captain of the Ranji side has helped him improve his game. “I have become more responsible after becoming the captain last season. My objective is to motivate my team and lead from the front with my batting and bowling.” He is satisfied with his batting form this season. What is worrying him is the lack of wickets. He feels the pitches are being made to either suit the batsmen or the swing bowlers. There is nothing in it for spinners. “In the match against Karnataka, I bowled only eight overs,” he laments. The J&K captain maintains the inclusion of Sunil Joshi as the head coach has helped his young team. “Joshi sir is very experienced and it helps. In the four months under him we have managed to beat Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and then Mumbai earlier this season. His inputs are invaluable and he has been vital in our performance here.” Also read: Pathan changes action, once again The J&K coach feels being consistent is the biggest challenge facing this young side. “These guys are young and have the potential. what has been their undoing is their inability to perform well consistently. When we started our campaign against Mumbai, I told them to play positive cricket as on a given day, any team can beat anyone,” he says. Inconsistency is not the only worry here though. J&K will have to battle the January chill and the inclement weather. The Karnail Singh Stadium is known to be a fog magnet and crucial time was lost in the previous encounter here against Baroda. The pitch here looks green and curator Sanjiv Agarwal feels the cool weather will aid swing bowlers on the opening day. Meanwhile, hosts Railways are yet to hit the ground running. Like J&K, they too must win to stay alive in the competition. Railways are placed seventh in the table, with 10 points from five games. Knowing the importance of this game, coach Harvinder Singh has enlisted the services of Murali Karthik. The 38-year-old veteran took a break from commentary and gave his team a much needed “pep talk” ahead of the must-win encounter. In a positive development, Railways will be bolstered by the return of leggie Karn Sharma who was part of India’s Test squad in Australia.
