Union Minister Jitendra Singh hails Jammu and Kashmir for Ranji Trophy performance

New Delhi [India], February 27 (ANI): Union Minister Jitendra Singh has lauded the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team for their impressive showing in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, highlighting the players' grit, discipline, and determination on the field.
In a post on X, the Union Minister wrote, "Best wishes to the spirited team of Jammu and Kashmir for their outstanding performance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Your grit, discipline and determination on the field have made the entire region proud. The way you have showcased talent and resilience at the national stage is truly inspiring."
Singh also acknowledged the role of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) officials in fostering transparency and fairness in team selection. He added, "Equally deserving of appreciation are JKCA's Brig Anil Gupta and Sh Mithun Manhas, who have painstakingly sought to introduce a culture of fair, transparent team selection in J&K... and the results are there for everybody to see."
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir are on the cusp of glory after ending the day 4 of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 title decider match with a big lead of 477 runs at Hubballi.
Karnataka started with their overnight score of 220/5 against Jammu and Kashmir's 584 in the first innings. Mayank Agarwal added 30 runs in his overnight score of 130 runs and kept his team in the game, but Sahil Lotra dismissed Kruthik Krishna at the score of 36 runs, breaking a 79-run partnership.
Vidhyadhar Patil spent some time on the crease but lost his wicket to Sunil Kumar in the 84th over.
Vijaykumar Vyshak added 22 runs with Agarwal, but the man of the moment, Auquib Nabi Dar, found Agarwal in front of the wickets to get the most important wicket of the match. Mayank made 160 runs off 266 balls with the help of 21 fours.
Nabi Dar got rid of Shikhar Shetty (0) and Yudhvir Singh Charak got the final wicket of Prasidh Krishna (4) to bundle them out for 293 runs in 93.3 overs. Jammu and Kashmir took a big lead of 291 runs, which may play a big role in the match.
J-K started their second innings with Yawer Hassan and Qamran Iqbal. Krishna dismissed Hassan (1), and Vyshak dismissed the centurion in the first innings, Shubham Pundir (4) early.
Captain Paras Dogra lost his wicket on a beautiful delivery from Krishna after making 16 runs.
Abdul Samad (32 off 70 balls) added 73 runs for the fourth wicket with Iqbal before losing his wicket to Shreyas Gopal.
Sahil Lotra (16 not out off 41 balls) and Iqbal (94 not out off 160 balls) were unbeaten at the time of stumps on Day 4 as Jammu and Kashmir strengthened their lead to 477 runs.
They need to bat well on the fifth and final day of the match, and the Paras Dogra-led side can win their first-ever Ranji Trophy title on Saturday. (ANI)