Omar Abdullah traveled to Karnataka on Friday to witness what he hopes will see Jammu and Kashmir lift their first ever Ranji Trophy title on Saturday. (PTI photo) Terming Jammu and Kashmir’s historic entry into the Ranji Trophy final is a “very big moment”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday, saying the team’s remarkable run not only put them on top of history but also strengthened the case for some players to earn an invite to India.“It’s a very big moment for us to reach the final because it’s the first time JK has reached the Ranji Trophy final. Many people said they can’t go further than this stage. But the way they played in the first innings, we expect to win the trophy from there,” Abdullah said on the sidelines of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy final here.
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“I think it’s time our players are invited or asked to play for the country. One or two of them definitely deserve to wear Indian colours,” he added.On the field, Jammu and Kashmir stepped up their efforts in the summit clash against the Karnataka cricket team and finished Day 4 with an impressive total of 477 runs at the Hubli Cricket Ground in Karnataka.In response to J&K’s impressive first innings total of 584, Karnataka resumed on Day 4 at 220/5, leaning heavily on skipper Mayank Agarwal. The right-hander added 30 runs to his 130 overnight, making a fighting 160 off 266 deliveries, with 21 boundaries. However, disciplined bowling ensured wickets continued to fall at the other end.Sahil Lotra ended a crucial 79 runs by dismissing Kruthik Krishna for 36, while Sunil Kumar removed Vidhyadhar Patil. The turning point came when Auquib Nabi Dar trapped Agarwal in front and decisively swung the momentum towards JK. Nabi also sent back Shikhar Shetty and Yudhvir Singh Charak ended the innings by removing Prasidh Krishna as Karnataka were dismissed for 293 in 93.3 overs, conceding a sizeable first innings deficit of 291 runs.Jammu and Kashmir’s second innings got off to a shaky start as Yawer Hassan and centurion Shubham Pundir departed early in the first innings. Captain Paras Dogra was thrown by Krishna after a short stay. Abdul Samad then contributed 32 crucial runs and shared a steady partnership of 73 runs with Qamran Iqbal to rebuild the innings.With the stumps on Day 4, Iqbal remained unbeaten on 94 off 160 balls, Sahil Lotra not out on 16 as JK extended their lead to 477 runs and edged closer to their first Ranji Trophy triumph. Abdullah traveled to Karnataka on Friday to witness what he hopes will be Jammu and Kashmir lifting their first ever Ranji Trophy title on Saturday.
