Champions!

A 67-year-old wait finally ended on Saturday when the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team won the Ranji Trophy.  Paras Dogra-led team defeated eight-time champions Karnataka at Hubballi. Leading the charge was Kashmir’s ‘Dale Steyn’, Auqib Nabi Dar, who took five wickets to send the opponents reeling. It was his seventh five-wicket haul of the season. Sunil Kumar, Yudhvir Singh, Qamran Iqbal, and Sahil Lotra made useful contributions to make the task difficult for the opponents. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in congratulating the team for this feat. He called it a proud moment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.  Union Home Minister Amit Shah said mantras of peace, progress, and prosperity are the driving force of the new Jammu and Kashmir. LG Manoj Sinha called the victory J&K’s finest hour. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced a Rs 2 crore cash reward for the players and support staff of the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team. Praises and rewards aside, the credit goes to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association for reviving the team. Earlier, JKCA was synonymous with scams and mismanagement. However, for the last few years, JKCA has worked hard on improving infrastructure and providing facilities to the team. The result is for everybody to see. Having said so, it was Auqib Nabi Dar who hogged the headlines for all good reasons. The 29-year-old pacer from Baramulla has taken over 60 wickets in this season. Calls have already become shriller to include the Baramulla Express in Team India. Auqib Nabi will be wearing the  Delhi Capitals jersey in the forthcoming Indian Premier League. He was sold for Rs 8.40 crore in the IPL auction. Starting at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, Auqib sparked a bidding war between DC and Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad made the bidding process interesting when they joined the race. Ultimately, DC got the prized catch. In fact, Auqib has been working hard to make his presence felt. He has been a consistent performer for the Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Team. He took 10 wickets against Meghalaya in a Ranji Trophy match in Shillong. Earlier, the 29-year-old stunned the formidable Mumbai team. Auqib has a unique record to his credit. He is only the third player to take a hat-trick in the Duleep Trophy. Indian legend Kapil Dev achieved the feat in 1979, and leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule made it to the record books in 2001. It will take some time for the celebrations to sink in. People are already waiting to see Auqib swing magic in the forthcoming IPL. All eyes are also on the Team India selection for the England and Afghanistan series. Let us hope Auqib makes it to Team India!