Ranji Trophy: Giant-killer J & K up against classy Karnataka in maiden final

: Kashmir to Kanyakumari is a slogan that is often invoked to epitomise the geographical grandeur, vision and diversity of India. In sport, few tournaments symbolise this quite like the Ranji Trophy, the nation’s prestigious domestic cricket competition.

As many as 38 teams take part, and matches are held in every nook and corner — in foothills of the Himalayas, the fertile Deccan Plateau, against the backdrop of the tea gardens of the North East and near the Great Rann of Kutch.

From Tuesday, this premier tournament will get a final befitting its stature when Karnataka takes on Jammu & Kashmir at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here.

Karnataka is not quite Kanyakumari but they are close enough, and there hasn’t been a Ranji final between two regions in Independent India that are as topographically distant.

In terms of cricketing excellence this season, they are joined at the hip. Karnataka and J & K are the most well-rounded sides and the summit clash is set to feature this edition’s highest run-scorer R. Smaran (950), and the second and third-best wicket-takers in Auqib Nabi (55) and Shreyas Gopal (46).

Karnataka is pedigreed, having won the coveted trophy eight times. It has a star-studded team with Test players like K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna. As many as four — Rahul, Karun, Shreyas and Mayank — were part of the southern powerhouse’s last Ranji-winning squad in 2014-15.

J & K is an upstart turned top dog, looking for its maiden red-ball crown in its first-ever final. It has momentum, having felled fancied outfits like Madhya Pradesh and Bengal away from home in the knockouts.

And there is both hunger and belief, qualities best exemplified in the success of pacer Nabi (99 wickets in two seasons) and the transcendence of captain Paras Dogra (only the second batter after Wasim Jaffer to score more than 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy).

However, for these two line-ups to bring their A-games, it is not just about form but also fitness. While skipper Padikkal expressed happiness with his recovery from the finger injury, J & K had a scare on Monday when all-rounder Vanshaj Sharma limped out of training and opener Shubham Khajuria was stretchered off with a back strain.

Conditions will be testing as well, for day-time temperatures are set to hover in the mid-30s. The pitch — trickiest of all variables — wore a green look on match eve and was being watered. If it holds up for five days, Karnataka’s first home final since Mysuru 2010 can be a cracking affair.

The teams (from): Karnataka: Devdutt Padikkal (Capt.), K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, R. Smaran, Kruthik Krishna, Shreyas Gopal, Vidyadhar Patil, Prasidh Krishna, V. Vyshak, Shikhar Shetty, Mohsin Khan, K.V. Aneesh, K.L. Shrijith & Vidwath Kaverappa.

Jammu & Kashmir: Paras Dogra (Capt.), Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi, Yudhvir Singh, Vanshaj Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Kawal Preet Singh, Sahil Lotra, Dikshant Kundal and Umar Nazir.