‘Kashmiri ‘Willow”… Sachin Tendulkar wrote a special message for Jammu and Kashmir on becoming Ranji champion.

New Delhi. Kashmir ‘Willow’ (the wood from which bats are made) has been a part of the journey of legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar. The great player on Saturday termed Jammu and Kashmir’s success in the Ranji Trophy as a ‘beautiful’ transformation from being helpful to cricket to becoming champions. Jammu and Kashmir created history by winning the country’s most prestigious first-class competition by defeating eight-time winner Karnataka on the basis of first innings lead in the final match played in Hubli.

Despite the huge difference between the two teams in terms of experience, this match proved to be one-sided. The Karnataka team included four Indian Test cricketers including KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, captain Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna. Tendulkar wrote on ‘X’, ‘Kashmiri ‘willow’ (bat) has been a part of the kit of many champions. It is very beautiful to see the journey of Jammu and Kashmir from enabling champions to becoming champions themselves.

Along with this, Tendulkar also praised his continuity and fighting spirit in the successful campaign of Jammu and Kashmir. This includes Auqib Nabi’s five wickets in the final along with 60 wickets taken in the entire season. He wrote, ‘This session was based on continuity, fighting spirit and excellent performance. Auqib Nabi’s impact with the ball stood out in the challenging campaign. This is a historic moment for the team, coach and support staff. Such tours define the beauty of domestic cricket.