Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir will lock horns with a star-studded Rest of India side in the Irani Cup at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium here from Thursday, with India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and J&K skipper Paras Dogra urging their respective teams to focus on the contest and keep things simple.
Pant, who will lead Rest of India in the five-day first-class fixture, said his approach was to make the most of every opportunity and continue improving. “Whatever is in front of me, I will give my best. That is how I play. I keep it very simple,” Pant said at the pre-match press conference.
The match marks Pant’s return to red-ball cricket after his recent international commitments. He said regular cricket was important for preparation and welcomed the opportunity to get more game time.
Pant also acknowledged J&K’s impressive Ranji Trophy campaign but said Rest of India would concentrate on its own plans. “The way J&K have played most of the season has been exceptional. They have done really well. But at the same time, we want to focus on ourselves,” he said.
Dogra, who is into his 25th first-class season, said J&K had already put their historic Ranji Trophy triumph behind them. “We won the championship and it was a very good atmosphere. We have forgotten that now. We have taken the good things and made memories, but now we have to think about the future,” he said.
Dogra said the players were eager to perform on the big stage despite the absence of some key players, including primary bowler Auqib Nabi, who is on national duty. “Everyone is in good shape. Everyone is hungry and everyone wants to do well,” he said.
The Rest of India side will also see the return of pacer Akash Deep, who has been out for seven months due to a lower-back stress fracture. The Irani Cup will provide him an opportunity to regain bowling rhythm and demonstrate his fitness. National selectors are also expected to watch his performance.
The Rishabh Pant-led Rest of India side includes several international and prolific domestic performers, including vice-captain Sarfaraz Khan, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Anukul Roy, Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary. J&K will look to showcase their depth in the absence of Nabi.
The match, beginning at 9.30 am, is significant for Srinagar as the city is hosting a BCCI fixture of this stature after a long gap. Free entry for spectators is expected to bring strong local support for the Ranji Trophy champions.
Squads
Rest of India: Rishabh Pant (captain and wk), Aryan Juyal (wk), Sanat Sangwan, R Smaran, Ayush Doseja, Sarfaraz Khan (vc), Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Saransh Jain, Anukul Roy, Akash Deep, Aryan Pandey, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary.
Jammu and Kashmir: Paras Dogra (captain), Qamran Iqbal, Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk), Abid Mushtaq, Kawalpreet Singh, Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir, Sahil Lotra, Vanshaj Sharma, Nasir Lone and Rohit Sharma.
Match Starts at 9:30 am.
“It is a very special moment for Jammu and Kashmir as, for the first time, J&K is hosting the Irani Trophy after becoming Ranji Trophy champions. This moment has come because of that achievement. I hope both teams will play in the right spirit of the game. I would also like to acknowledge the BCCI’s efforts and make a special mention of Jay Shah, who was the BCCI Secretary in 2021. The BCCI constituted a committee in J&K, which was allowed to work freely. Jay Shah was also the first BCCI Secretary to visit Jammu,” said BCCI president Mithun Manhas.