Why Pakistan no longer trusts Babar Azam | T20 World Cup 2026
A former Delhi player himself, Sharma admits he struggled to get a grip when he first took charge ahead of the 2022-23 season. “When I first joined, I was in charge of 38 boys. I was alone then,” Sharma said.The lineup looks completely different now. J&K have bowling coach in P Krishnakumar and Dishant Yagnik as fielding coach. These are small additions on paper, significant in the dressing room trying to grow into a winning unit.“Initially it was challenging because there was a very different culture in J&K. It took me about two years to understand these kids. It took me time to bond with them,” he said. “At first I was hard on them. But today they see me as an older brother.”Sharma believes that the first shift had to happen in the mind. “These boys only think about white-ball cricket and IPL. We have players from the state in IPL. But Mithun as J&K cricket administrator had a vision and that is to win the Ranji trophy. The Ranji trophy still remains the best tournament in the country. If you do well here, your name will live on,” Sharma said.From there, the work became more focused: to identify the core and continue to support it. A group of 24-25 boys began to form – some, such as left-arm pacer Sunil Kumar, appearing in talent scouts. “It’s the same bunch that developed when we gave them confidence,” Sharma said.Along with confidence came ambition – not loud as if it could be thrown away, but something carefully planted and watered through the seasons. “Slowly I made them understand that you are all talented guys and you are around 19-20 years old. You have the game in you, so if you apply yourself a bit, you can play for India,” he said.Infrastructure was also important. J&K’s effort has included pitch preparation, with Sharma noting that the state now has both black and red soil, a rare asset for a side that wants to be versatile at home and resilient away.Preparation has become the defining theme of the season. “Pre-season is very important and we have started playing Buchi Babu (in Chennai) for the last two to three years,” Sharma pointed out. Fielding bigger sides and surviving these tests helped the group believe they could beat anyone.“J&K has become a team to reckon with. Everyone is afraid to play J&K now,” thundered Sharma. “We have all the bases covered with quality fast bowlers and spinners. We won both the knockout games away.”