Ranji Trophy Final: Eight-time champs Karnataka to face first-time finalists J&K

Hubballi: Cricket’s appeal often lies in its glorious uncertainty. Karnataka had no control over the fading natural light, and if it had gone 15 minutes earlier in Mohali, their season would have ended. They were chasing an unlikely 250 in 40 overs to qualify, and an earlier halt would have drawn the curtains on their campaign.

Instead, they now feature in a game every domestic cricketer dreams of playing and every team aspires to win: the Ranji Trophy final. 

The eight-time champions Karnataka will be up against first-time finalists Jammu and Kashmir in a battle of might versus grit at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here in Hubballi. 

Karnataka have featured in 14 Ranji finals before but have not played in one over a decade. The last time they were in this territory, they buried Tamil Nadu in a mountain of first innings runs to clinch the title in 2014-15. 

However, this final comes after a rebuilding phase and the one that echoes resurgence, voiced by a young crop. And a certain standout has been Smaran R.  

Smaran's 950-run season has grabbed quite a bit of attention and Karnataka will hope he can break the 1280-run State record set by Vijay Bharadwaj back in 1998-99 campaign. 

Karnataka's batting riches also consist of India internationals K L Rahul (457 runs), Devdutt Padikkal (532), Mayank Agarwal (518) and Karun Nair (699), who all played significant roles in their charge to the final this season. 

Padikkal, who was given captaincy in the final group match of the season, has scored 417 runs since, signalling his ability to handle responsibility along with his batting. 

While the spotlight will be on batting, Shreyas Gopal (46 wickets) has been a quiet yet consistent performer for Karnataka.

Having entered the elite 300-wicket club in first-class cricket recently, he is among the few batters to also have 4000 runs in red-ball cricket. Another good outing in the final may just be the fuel he needs for opportunities at higher levels. 

Karnataka's pace attack has collectively fired across the tournament, with Vidwath Kaverappa leading the list with 21 wickets.

While he has not been able to maintain the standards he set in the first phase of the tournament, Vidyadhar Patil (18 wickets) has been an unheralded star. With Prasidh Krishna and Vyshak Vijayakumar, Karnataka will also have variety to bank on. 

On paper, Karnataka are red-hot favourites, but considering the manner in which Jammu and Kashmir have turned around a sedate start into a historic one, they can’t be taken lightly. 

And they certainly don't need any reminders about what is at stake. After 343 matches over six decades, they finally have a shot at the title.

But what makes J&K a formidable side and giving them an outside chance is Auqib Nabi. The 32-year-old has picked up 99 wickets in the last two seasons. They will also bank on skipper Parag Dogra’s experience, who recently joined the 10,000 run-club in Ranji Trophy cricket. 

However, the visitors will also be sweating on Vanshaj Sharma and Shubham Khajuria’s fitness before their big day. 

All in all, J&K will hope to derive confidence from the recent past and will need a miracle to stop an unstoppable force in Karnataka. 

Karnataka team: Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, KV Aneesh, Smaran R, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vidyadhar Patil, Vidwath Kaverappa, Prasidh Krishna, Mohsin Khan, Shikhar Shetty, KL Shrijith

Jammu and Kashmir team: Parag Dogra (c), Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassam Khan, Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi, Yudhvir Singh, Vanshaj Sharma, Sunil Ram Kumar, Kawal Preet Singh, Sahil Lotra, Dikshant Kundal, Umar Nazir