Srinagar, Dec 2: For the first time in the cricketing history of Jammu and Kashmir, all three Men’s Teams of JKCA representing J&K in various one-day tournaments conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at different venues during the season 2022-23 have qualified for the knockout stage.
The Men’s U-19 team in the Vinoo Mankad Tournament topped in its elite pool in the League matches and moved directly to the knockout stage. In Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Senior Men’s Team defeated teams like Madhya Pradesh, Baroda, Odisha, and Uttarakhand and finally lost in the Quarter Finals to Assam in a high-scoring match. Following the footsteps of the other two teams, the Men’s U-25 team also qualified for the pre-quarterfinals of the U-25 Men’s State A Tournament being played at Rajkot. The team is scheduled to play Railways on December 4, 2022, at Rajkot.
“What is heartening is that all the teams performed consistently and worked together as a team and excelled in batting, fielding and bowling, all three departments of this game. The team spirit displayed by the teams and their urge to win is something new and is a welcome change,” said Brigadier Anil Gupta, Member Administration, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) in a statement.
Member Cricket Operations & Development, JKCA, Mr Mithun Manhas while praising the support staff apart from the teams said, “The performance of the teams is directly related to the hard work put in by the coaches and other members of the support staff. It certainly is excellent team work.”
Mr Mithun Manhas said various processes and procedures placed to bring in transparency and fairness in the system have enabled real talent to be included in the team which is evident from the performance of certain newcomers. He credited JKCA’s talent hunt and the subsequent Cricket for Peace Tournament.
“All eyes are now set on our Women’s team who are participating in the one-day tournament to be held at Pune for the U-19 Team and Pondicherry for Senior Team,” the JKCA said. “Incidentally, our Senior Women’s team had already set an example last year by qualifying for the knockout stage in the one-day tournament held at Bangalore,” Brigadier Gupta informed.
He said JKCA is pleased with the performance of the teams. He complimented the members of the Junior and Senior Selection Committees who have used their experience and expertise in selecting the best possible combination for each team.
