Jammu and Kashmir has decided to bat first against eight-time winners Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
J&K, who have created history by reaching their first-ever final, will look to etch their name on the trophy after 67 years of waiting, while Karnataka will aim to dominate J&K’s destructive pace attack in the all-important game.
Both sides entered the final with some stellar performances against their rival teams, though former stars and legends of the game have praised Jammu and Kashmir cricket’s rise in recent years.
On Tuesday, the visitors started their innings with openers Qamran Iqbal and Yawer Hassan; however, Qamran was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna, while Hassan and Shubham Pundir stabilised the innings with a 60-run partnership.
Karnataka defeated Uttarakhand in the semi-finals, while Jammu and Kashmir defeated Bengal to enter the finals.
Observers of the game have said that the final game will be a test of Karnataka’s batting versus J&K’s bowling.
Though the visitors’ batting has also been in form in the recent games, coming into this all-important game.
The visitors were going well with 73/1 in the first session of day 1. The contest is expected to go down to the wire between two of the best teams in the tournament.