The Ranji road of J&K

In many countries, cricket is a ‘religion’ for many and no more an imperial game, as it was once considered. The game extended its boundaries to different countries in the past across the globe, since its first campaign in Surrey, England, in 1700. 

Interestingly, Americans, who outnumber many, know very little about this game – less than one per cent or so, calling teams blue and red and umpires cowboys – as per a recent video from Buzzfeed. Thanks to the cricket All-stars, who had recently gained a momentum and made it possible to play cricket even at baseball stadiums and Kashmir had witnessed the same in paddy fields. 

In the Kashmir region, as a token of love, just two years before independence in 1944-45, a Lahore College team came from miles away to Kashmir, with the passion and dedication for cricket. 

The visiting team played a friendly match against the Kashmir Cricket Club – the first cricket club in the valley in the 1930s that was represented by the late Ram Chand Tikoo at Eidgarh Ground, who was also considered as the father of cricket in Jammu and Kashmir State. From there on, the cricket had spread across the valley after Maharaja played with his associates at Amar Singh Club in early 1910, as it was then considered a game for royals.

The visiting team had legends of the game which included Imtiaz Ahmad, Hanif Mohammad, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Mohammad Hussain and Fazal Mahmood – later known as Fazal Amrood (practised bowling while dealing with the guavas in a garden). Later on, they all featured for Pakistan after they earned Test status in the 1950s.

The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association was formed in 1957 and it got affiliation from the Indian board in correspondence with Ramchand Tikoo. 

The affiliation of J&K with the All India Cricket Federation, now known as the BCCI, in 1957, was accredited to Ram Chand Tikoo, Abdul Mir Matoo and Er. Parvez Qureshi.

Tikoo, who had seen the profitable transformation for the game of cricket, had correspondence with BCCI when only three professional clubs were playing across the Jammu and Kashmir state. The three clubs were KCC (Kashmir Cricket Club), the first cricket club introduced by Pandiths in Kashmir at Eidgarh in 1935, followed by Amar Singh Cricket club and later on City Cricket Club in the 1940s.

In Jammu the only club was introduced that was Jammu Cricket Club, and later on Muslim Cricket Club was also formed.

Citizens of Kashmir rejoiced when five-match India-Pakistan Test series began in the late 1950s, and the running commentary on the transistor sets was the first step for cricket to develop in the region. From there, the game picked up in the streets and paddy fields.

The Jammu and Kashmir Ranji team had first participated in the 1958-59 season against Services at Sher-e-Kashmir stadium. The Ranji team was picked with players chosen from the four clubs, two each from Jammu and Kashmir. 

In 1958-59, Kanwar Sethi, a former golfer, led the J&K Ranji team which included Ramesh Papa, Abdur Rouf, Baldev Raj, Mir Mukhtar Kanth, Pran Malhotra, SD Drabu, Senior Mehra, Surendra Puri, Bal Kishan Bhat who bowled the first over for J&K against Services and Birju Dhar who was the oldest player in the squad.

Unfortunately, J&K team lost its all debut Ranji matches by an innings – against Southern Punjab, Northern Delhi, Railways and Services.

In 1959, Northern Railways visited Srinagar and it was led by Mudaya and the side included Datoo Phatkar, Watchass Pati and Surendra Nath, the Indian Test player who had played at Sri Pratap College, against different colleges and clubs.

The cricketers used to travel through the boogies, laden with fruits and vegetables and they had slept on the railway platforms and dormitory of the stadium.

With the passing of time, the bats swung and balls bounced, passions ran high in the fenced and cracked maidans congealed with dust, occupied by youths who often were seen carrying bat and ball and sometimes airless football, pumping the air in a tube of the ball from a cycle repairing shop, after paying one Rupee or so, or even nothing.

It had become a pristine recollection as the days, months, years and decades had passed. Both the popular games, cricket and football ran parallel in the highs and lows in this region, but the cricketers were as posters on the walls and framed in the barber shops of the valley.

In 1960-61, Jammu & Kashmir lost their matches again. This time the team included new blood in the shape of Girdari Lal, considered as the first coach and Tahir Firdous, both from the downtown area of Srinagar.

Abdul Rouf, 72, who was considered as one of the talented cricketers, was known for the impeccable concentration. Rouf had hit Bishan Bedi for 18 runs in his first over in 1962-63 Ranji Trophy season in Delhi that later earned him praise for his fearless approach.

In 1960, the Ranji tournament was back in Kashmir with new talent infused in the likes of Bijender Singh, the top-ranked fast bowler in Jammu and Parvaze Qureshi as an opener. Surinder Puri, who hailed from Punjabi Mohalla at Maisuma, downtown area of Srinagar, had scored the first ever half-century in 1959-60 for J&K. Later on, he joined the army and died in Uri in 1965 at Hajipur belt.

Jammu and Kashmir in the past had scored 23 and 25 – the lowest totals in a Ranji Trophy at Rai in Haryana in 1959-60.

In 1961, Junior Parvaze Qureshi, Anil Mehra, Prithvi Nath Tikoo, Girdari Lal, who is considered as the first coach and Omarkar Nath Pajnoo were part of the Ranji team. Amateurs Cricket Club was formed by Srikishan, Pran Nath, Jawahir Baan, Mohi-ud-din Mirza, Roshan Baan and Manzoor Ahmad from Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

In 1960-70 the players who played for City Cricket Club were mostly selected for the Ranji Trophy season. Wonder Boys Cricket Club was started by Bejnath Wazir, Pandith Jiya Lal at Sonwar, Srinagar.

Virender Chopra, the elder brother of Vidhu Vinod Chopra played cricket till 1968. Bijender Singh, Baldev Singh, Virendra Singh (Viru) were from Jammu and joined the team later. Omkarnath Pajnoo, who led KCC for four long years played in the Ranji Trophy for five years and then fractured his leg, putting an end to his career.

“I happened to be the member of J&K cricket team and represented J&K in 1959-60 Ranji season,” Pajnoo he recalls.

“We often practiced at Eidgarh ground under the shades of chinar and poplar trees that later were cut down huge in number in 1980s. Cricket was seen as the great sport.”

Pajnoo, who prepared the wicket for the historic India-West Indies match, had scored 38 runs which included nine boundaries that he vividly remembers against Nawab Khan Patudi’s team.

“Nawab Khan Pataudi, the then captain of Delhi, was fielding at cover position when I came in at number six. He patted me and told: ‘You don’t have to lose anything. Go and smack every ball.”

“I had kept it in my mind and faced the first ball of the leg-spinner and dispatched it for four. I could hear him saying ‘wonderful, young man’,” said Pajnoo while recalling his cricketing days.

Former Ranji player Syed Parvaze Qaiser Qalander, 51, played domestic cricket in 1990-91, for Dumfries in Scotland, and was introduced in cricket by the geologist, Jalal Ud Din Shah in his Shah Cricket Club in 1973 and later on he played Ranji Trophy when he was in 10th class – after his exams Shah, picked him up for the team as a wicket-keeper batsman.

In a match against Haryana, J&K team were bundled out for 51 in 1978 in which Parvaze Qaiser, who played for J&K Schoolboys, singlehandedly scored 43 runs.

“We played in the parks in 1974, from there on we started playing night cricket in a nearby park as luckily there were halogen lamps installed, so it was easy for us to see the ball even in the later part of the night,” said Parvaze.

J&K registered their first win in a Ranji Trophy match at Udhampur in 1981-82, against Services, despite the pathetic state of cricket in Kashmir.

Services were bundled out for 72 runs, in reply J&K scored 330, and after batting again Services set a target of 72 runs. After a shaky start J&K were 30 for six, but Parvaze Qaiser single handedly scored 42 match-winning runs.

Qaiser had played for Ranji Veterans in 2004-06 and was twice nominated as the best player in both the seasons after proving his batting mettle.

Four brothers who dedicated their lives to cricket were Mohi-ud-din Mirza, Muzaffar Mirza, Farooq Mirza and Mushtaq Ahmad. Srinagar Gymkhana was started in 1970 by Vijay Labroo, but he himself was not part of the Ranji team.

The veteran all-rounder Syed Humayun Qaiser started his Ranji career in 1983 and played until 1989. Qaiser has not only played well, but has overhauled cricket and his team during his playing career.

During the turmoil Abdul Qayoom Bhagaw, the fast bowler from Bijbehara, who had played for Bijbehara Cricket Club, introduced in 1971. Bhagaw was the lone cricketer from Kashmir who have played matches for Air India after staying in Delhi. During his reign, Abdul Qayoom Bhagaw, who was known for his fierce and economical bowling stats, was prominent in the list. 

In 1992-93, 75 rupees was the Dearness Allowance (DA), while being in the Ranji team and state Youth Services had around of 1.5 rupee DA for the students when Abdul Qayoom Bhagaw played interschool matches in 1980-81.

In 1993, Abdul Qayoom Bhagaw, a promising bowler in his time, who was once among 30 probables for a tour of New Zealand, led his J&K Ranji team and beat Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla for the first time and later on, they qualified for the knockout stage in 2001-02.

Mithun Manhas, who was born in J&K, switched to Delhi during the turmoil in Kashmir in the 1990s and today, now he is 34, the pendulum has swung, and he is back to serve J&K team.

Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a 41-year-old cricketer, had played for non-affiliated team President’s Cricket Club in 1995. He started playing in the Ranji Trophy in 1999 and had played in the Cooch Behar trophy in the same year.

From 1996 until 2001, regionalism hit cricket due to turmoil in one of the regions of the J&K state. There were no more than three Kashmir players in the 1996 trials. Kashmir cricketers were forced to withdraw in 1997-98 and 1999 respectively.

“We attended the trials but, we knew that the result would be minimal. From 2000 onwards the transparency in the association helped the cricketers,” said Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a former Ranji Player from Srinagar.

In 2001-02, leading from the front India’s Ajay Jadeja helped J&K team to reach the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals. After 2000, John Mohammad, Aka John Tailor introduced Samiullah Beigh and Abid Nabi and both Ranji players did well for their team.

In 2011-12 J&K qualified for the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy quarter-finals. In the Under-23 tournament in the same year J&K had qualified for the quarters and were slated for the elite group.

Bishan Singh Bedi was elected as J&K’s head coach in 2011-12, a man who had been the inspiration for team members. 

J&K team qualified for the second time for the quarter-final after beating 40-times champion Mumbai in a group match that set the tone.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Ranji team, which looks formidable is unpredictable, has now played over 264 Ranji matches and has only managed to win around 20 matches since 1958-59.

The 2015-16 Ranji season has remained a dismal as the game equally is not in a good place back home.

Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now

MONTHLY	Rs 100
YEARLY	Rs 1000
LIFETIME	Rs 10000

CLICK FOR DETAILS