Jammu and Kashmir's long road to India cricketing glory

Jammu and Kashmir's maiden triumph in India's premier domestic championship last week is more than a sporting milestone - it is one of the most stirring stories in the country's cricket.

The Ranji Trophy, one of the oldest first-class competitions in the sport, sits at the heart of the game in the world's most powerful cricketing nation.

To win it is to claim a place in the country's cricketing mainstream; for Jammu and Kashmir, it marks a breakthrough that was decades in the making.

Cricket in the disputed region dates back to the colonial era, when the Kashmir willow - prized for its strength and resilience - helped craft bats that powered the sport across India.

For decades, the region was scarred by insurgency, political turmoil and a deep sense of alienation - tensions that culminated in 2019 when Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy and split the state into two new federally-administered territories.

Yet, even through these upheavals, passion for cricket ran deep. Success, however, proved elusive.

That changed over a remarkable fortnight.

In a season overshadowed by the ongoing high-voltage T20 World Cup, where India are defending champions, it was this unfancied northern side that quietly commanded attention.

After defeating seven-time champions Delhi to enter the knockouts, Jammu and Kashmir gathered momentum.

Former champions Madhya Pradesh fell in the quarter-finals. Bengal were subdued in the semi-finals. In the final, stood eight-time winners Karnataka, boasting four current internationals - KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna - and overwhelming experience.

Jammu and Kashmir were the underdogs and most expected them to falter. Instead, they produced cricket of composure, skill and steel, outplaying their decorated opponents to claim India's premier first-class title.

The breakthrough did not come out of nowhere.

Over the past decade, the team has flirted with history, reaching the quarter-finals three times and missing last year's semi-final by the slimmest of margins - a one-run first-innings deficit against Kerala.

The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association was formed in 1959-60. It has taken nearly 67 years - marked by political upheaval, institutional neglect and chronic underinvestment - for the region to complete the circle and reach the summit of Indian domestic cricket.

For decades, cricket's real power centres lay elsewhere: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru. Proximity to these hubs - of money, infrastructure and influence - often determined how quickly cricket flourished in a state.

Jammu and Kashmir, geographically and politically distant from these nerve centres, remained on the margins - a cricketing outpost far removed from the game's corridors of power.

A lack of basic infrastructure, scant coaching facilities and self-serving administration stunted cricket's growth for decades. That Jammu and Kashmir won their first Ranji match only in 1982-83 - more than 20 years after gaining state association status - underlines how halting that progress was.

In 1983, during a match in Srinagar city against Clive Lloyd's touring West Indies, Indian players were booed and jeered - a spectacle that prompted authorities to sideline the state from hosting major fixtures.

The hostility reflected a deepening political alienation in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir region, where resentment against Delhi over autonomy and governance was already simmering. Though a full-blown insurgency against Indian rule would erupt only in 1989, the faultlines were visible.

In 1986, Allan Border's Australians played what would prove to be the last international match in Kashmir. Four decades on, top-level cricket has yet to return.

Cricket in Jammu and Kashmir began to turn a corner over the past 15 years as militancy ebbed and political volatility eased. With greater stability came long-missing attention to development and structure.

Three clear inflection points underpin the team's rise.

The first came between 2011 and 2013, when former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi took charge as coach. He transformed a side burdened by diffidence into one that believed it belonged - urging players long overawed by reputation to compete as equals on the national stage.

Pervez Rasool, the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India, was among the chief beneficiaries of Bedi's confidence-building approach - a debt he has acknowledged in recent years.

The second inflection point came in 2018-19, when the state association brought in former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan as player-cum-mentor. During his two seasons with the side, Pathan said his central message was simple: shed regional faultlines and play as one team.

That phase unearthed notable talent, including batsman Abdul Samad and the explosive fast bowler Umran Malik - only the second cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India.

The third inflection point came about five years ago, when the state association was replaced by an Apex Council to oversee the game. It was headed by Mithun Manhas, a former Delhi stalwart born in Jammu who had also played a season for J&K - blending administrative authority with local roots and top-tier experience.

Manhas, now the head of the Indian cricket board, professionalised the set-up, appointing his former Delhi teammate Ajay Sharma as coach and tightening structures around the team.

Top-tier infrastructure followed, along with modern coaching methods - scientific fitness, nutrition planning and structured mental conditioning - bringing the set-up in line with national standards.

Paras Dogra, a seasoned and prolific domestic batsman, was drafted in as captain to anchor the rebuild. Selectors then cast the net wide, scouting both established and emerging talent.

At 41, Dogra proved a natural leader - delivering his own best while elevating those around him, a journey that culminated in this year's coveted title.

Several batsmen and bowlers stood out, but the spearhead was fast bowler Aquib Nabi, who finished the season with 60 wickets. He had claimed 44 the previous year, earning an IPL contract with the Delhi Daredevils.

Many observers believe he is ready for the highest level - the national team. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was among those who publicly endorsed him, saying Nabi has the tools to play Test cricket for India.

Whether, and how soon, that leap to the international stage comes remains uncertain.

What is beyond doubt is the significance of Jammu and Kashmir's surge as a cricketing force - a rise that, in its improbable sweep, recalls Afghanistan's ascent in the global game.

For India, it matters in at least two profound ways.

First, it underscores how deeply and widely cricket's footprint now runs across the country - a key reason India stands as the pre-eminent force in the global game.

Second, this triumph offers the beleaguered federally-administered territory and its people something long yearned for: a meaningful stake in the national mainstream through shared pride and sporting excellence.