Jammu & Kashmir script history with maiden Ranji Trophy title

There are trophies that are displayed proudly in cabinets because they are polished and attractive. Then there are awards that "promise" to alter historical events. Jammu & Kashmir's maiden Ranji Trophy title provided that moment of celebration, its major moment of glory, and a clincher of belief for the state, which has carried heavier narratives in the Indian landscape for several decades. On Saturday (February 28), at 2.11 PM, when the captains decided to shake hands, it became official what was expected for more than 24 hours: that Jammu & Kashmir, who had taken a massive 291-run lead in the first innings, would be crowned champions of the 91st Ranji Trophy. Mayank Agarwal, the Karnataka opener and the highest scorer in the decisive first innings, had promised that the hosts wouldn't go down without a fight on the final day, evoking memories of their all-out attack against Punjab in the last group game. However, Karnataka gave up the fight early on Day 5, employing KL Rahul, who had last bowled in first-class cricket more than a decade ago, in the morning session itself. The footmarks did little to make the spinners threatening, and the slow track was sparse in providing pace and bounce to the pacers. With their premier pacer, Prasidh Krishna not coming on to bowl, Karnataka had surrendered to save some agony for the rest of the bowling pack which had endured with limited success over three and a half days on the lifeless surface. Resuming the final day with a 477-run lead, everything else was a mere formality with J&K's overnight batters, Qamran Iqbal and Sahil Lotra, piling on the runs, as late individual rewards to themselves, bringing up their respective centuries and ensuring their bowlers didn't have to toil again pointlessly on that track. They were getting assistance. On 62, Lotra was dropped by Mayank at first slip, but even if he took a catch, it was unlikely that the outcome would change. Their labor for months was about to be rewarded. They had outplayed opponents all over the country: a come-from-behind victory against Mumbai in Srinagar and a crushing victory against Delhi in Delhi; knockout victories over Madhya Pradesh in Indore and Bengal in Kolkata; and a deserving victory over Karnataka in Hubbali by outbatting and outbowling them. Even in the final, after electing to bat on a flat surface, there was barely a period in which Karnataka could sniff an opportunity to believe they were ahead in the game. Outsmarting the hosts, they followed up their disciplined and patient bat performance with a clinical ball display. Leading the way again was Auqib Nabi, who registered his fourth fifer in five innings of the knockouts. Karnataka did have some contributors along the way, most notably Prasidh Krishna, who worked hard for two and a half days in the first innings to get back a fifer. However, after Karnataka's top order was blown away after Lunch on Day 3, it seemed too hard to catch up, even though Mayank scored 160. Records fell after Jammu & Kashmir's historic victory, and Nabi finished the season with the most wickets, proving his versatility in a variety of conditions and against players of international caliber. However, the list of contributors was extensive. One of them was Paras Dogra, the team captain, who won his first title after playing for three teams for 24 years and scoring more than 10,000 runs.