Ranji Trophy: How practising on red soil pitches helped J&K outsmart Mumbai

Ranji Trophy: How practising on red soil pitches helped J&K outsmart Mumbai

Beating Mumbai in its den is a dream of every domestic team. But not many can actually make it happen.

Jammu and Kashmir, however, seems to have made it a habit. Of its two red-ball outings against the domestic giant, it has won on both the occasions. While the one in 2014 was seen more as an upset, the one on Saturday was more of a calculated effort.

The team reached Mumbai ten days prior to the game and trained at the Air India ground in Kalina to get a hang of the conditions. While that was one part of the planning, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) thought of long-term benefits and produced a red-soil surface at the GGM Science College ground in Jammu.

As Mithun Manhas, former cricketer and now a member of the JKCA sub-committee, which runs the association, puts it, “The idea was to ensure that our boys don’t struggle on the red soil surfaces in western and southern parts of India…”

While the association is in the process of preparing eight squares at the Science College ground, four of them will be red soil surfaces, while the other four will be black soil pitches that suit the local conditions. “Earlier, we had local turf wickets, but we realised that if we have to prepare our players across conditions, they need to practice accordingly. So, we imported red soil from Mumbai and work is in progress to prepare three red-soil surfaces, while one is already in use,” Manhas tells  Sportstar.

A veteran of 157 first-class and 130 List-A matches for Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, Manhas came up with the idea soon after being part of the BCCI-appointed JKCA sub-committee. However, it took some time for things to materialise. “Since in north India, we have black soil surfaces, we had to take this step. So, we tested the red soil for six months and in one such track, our senior team played,” Manhas adds.

And, that certainly helped the players in getting used to the surface. The way the fast bowlers planned their spells proved that before taking on a star-studded Mumbai team, they had a fair idea about red soil wickets. “If you want to be successful at the national level, it is important to prepare accordingly,” Manhas says, adding that now the teams in J&K, across age-groups, practice with kookaburra and SG balls. “If it’s white-ball cricket, we ensure that the teams are using the Kookaburra, whereas for red-ball, it’s always the SG. These specific changes have helped our players as they are now more confident,” he says.

While the talent hunts across districts – in Jammu and Kashmir – have unearthed several young players, the association has also installed dome covers to maintain the wickets better. “So now, there is moisture in the wicket, the quality, the bounce and everything is proper. And you can save the wicket and the grass by that,” Manhas says, making it clear that the BCCI has provided all the help to ensure the game spreads across Jammu and Kashmir. “There is a huge load on Jammu since we have to shift all cricketing activities there in winter and the dome covers have actually been beneficial,” he said.

Over the years, Jammu and Kashmir has produced some promising talents, who have gone on to play in the IPL and in the national team and with yet another historic win against Mumbai, the team is on course of reaching the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy.

And, Manhas believes that going forward, consistency will be the key. “We need to keep winning the games and the most important thing for teams like J&K is consistency. We have always shown a glimpse of the kind of talent we possess here, but the consistency lacked. Now, we have invested a lot in the infrastructure and we now have 20 to 25 turf tickets, which wasn’t the case earlier,” Manhas claimed, adding: “The team is benefiting and such results indicate that we are in the right direction…”

After their heroics against Mumbai, the players perhaps would agree, too.