How Jammu & Kashmir Rose To Top Of The Table In Ranji Trophy Group Stages

Jammu & Kashmir is not quite used to the feeling of being table-toppers in first-class cricket (they currently sit four points clear in Elite Group C of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season), so it is rather understandable that coach Milap Mewada allowed his players to prolong their celebrations on Thursday evening. During the day, J&K had crushed Tripura by 329 runs in Agartala to register their sixth outright win in eight games of this Ranji season, which all but put Parvez Rasool’s side in the quarterfinals with a round of cricket to spare. The last-eight is a stage that J&K hadn’t reached since the 2013-14 season. And, hence, the turnaround for the team has been a remarkable one, also given that they had only a solitary victory to show in the last couple of seasons. While the comeback may seem miraculous, those in charge of the team will tell you that the 39 points they currently command has been no fluke.