Hubballi: Jammu and Kashmir’s entry into their maiden Ranji Trophy final is a heartwarming tale of grit and passion but to grab the title, the underdog side would need to pull off a giant-sized miracle against eight-time former champions Karnataka over the next five days, starting Tuesday.
The tag of favourites is attached to Karnataka not merely because of their rich legacy, but it is a well-earned one after a season in which they consistently rose above opponents, conditions and injuries to key players at various junctures.
Karnataka have dominated teams both at home and away after a stuttering start against Saurashtra at Rajkot, where they conceded a narrow first innings lead to lose points.
However, eternal nemesis Mumbai and tricky newcomers Uttarakhand were dealt away with confidence and ease, indicating the growing belief within the side.
Central to that dominance has been the form of their star batters -- KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ravichandran Smaran.
Rahul (3 matches: 457 runs, Avg: 91.40), Karun (8 matches: 699 runs, Avg: 63.54), Devdutt (5 matches: 532 runs, Avg: 66.50), and Smaran (8 matches: 950 runs, Avg: 950) have fired on all cylinders through the season.
It has helped Karnataka overcome a middling season from Mayank Agarwal, who eventually stepped away from captaincy as Devdutt took over the team’s reins.
To his credit, the left-hander has led well both with the bat and his tactically sharp mind.
This strong batting unit, however, will meet its match at the KSCA Stadium here in a capable Jammu and Kashmir bowling attack, led by pacer Auqib Nabi. The team is at the biggest stage of India’s domestic calendar for the first time since making its tournament debut 67 years ago.
Nabi has taken 55 wickets this season and has been the go-to bowler for J&K. The status would not change on a pitch here that is expected to give some assistance to quick bowlers at least initially.