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BCCI president Mithun Manhas, who helped Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as a cricket administrator from 2021 to 2025, said it’s a proud moment to see them win their maiden Ranji Trophy title on Saturday. The Paras Dogra-led J&K beat Karnataka by virtue of a first innings lead in the final at Hubballi.
“It took us 67 years to come this far. It’s a very proud moment, a historic one for J&K and I’m a very proud man today,” Manhas told Sunday mid-day over the phone from Hubballi on Saturday.
“We have been playing good cricket since the last two-three years. In the Ranji Trophy we beat big teams at their home grounds. In the last three years we beat Mumbai twice, beat Baroda at their home, outclassed Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final in MP, beat Bengal in Bengal [in the semi-finals]. And in the last five days [final], J&K has dominated every session. I never felt that Karnataka put any pressure on J&K. It was a totally one-sided affair and hats off to the players and the support staff,” Manhas said.
In reply to J&K’s first innings score of 584, hosts Karnataka were bowled out for 293 after which J&K declared their second innings at 342-2.
The BCCI chief revealed that the national selectors are closely watching pacer Auqib Nabi, who claimed a crucial fifer (5-54) in the first innings and is leading the wicket’s tally with 60 scalps this season.
“Nabi has bowled brilliantly against the top teams. In the quarter-finals [vs MP], he took five wickets. In the semis [vs Bengal] he took five wickets and now in the final, again five wickets. I think this is his seventh five-wicket haul this season. He has taken a hat-trick in this year’s Duleep Trophy as well. He is the No. 1 bowler in India. His future is very bright and I’m sure the selectors are watching him closely and they must be thinking when and how to play him,” added Manhas, 46, who has represented Delhi, scoring 9,714 runs in 157 first-class matches.
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