Hubballi, Feb 28 (IANS) Karnataka captain Devdutt Padikkal expressed pride in his team’s effort despite their defeat in the Ranji Trophy final, while graciously acknowledging Jammu & Kashmir’s superior performance and richly deserved historic maiden title triumph.

Reflecting on Karnataka’s journey to the summit clash and the eventual result, Padikkal said, “Really proud of the boys to get to a Ranji final is not easy. It takes a lot of sacrifice, a lot of effort. So really proud of them and of course all credit goes to J&K. They played some really good cricket throughout the season and they thoroughly deserved it. We always understood the toss will play a big role, but at the end of the day it’s a final, you know, the pressures of the final will be there regardless of what you do. So it was up to us to really step up. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that and they played much better cricket than us.”

Jammu & Kashmir dominated large phases of the five-day contest, securing a decisive first-innings lead and batting Karnataka out of contention to seal a landmark victory that marked a watershed moment for cricket in the Jammu and Kashmir.

Padikkal also reserved special praise for Jammu & Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi Dar, whose outstanding bowling played a pivotal role in tilting the contest decisively in his side’s favour.

“He’s bowled exceptionally well throughout the season. Our batsmen have got a lot of runs as well. So we backed ourselves to, you know, play out those spells as well. But at the end of the day, he just got the better of us. And that’s how it goes sometimes, you know, when someone’s having such a great season, it’s not that easy to really negate that sort of performance from his side and really happy for him. I feel to have a season like that to get 60 odd wickets is something incredible. And he’s put his heart and soul into the whole season and really happy for him as well to be honest, I’ve just, this is the first loss I’ve felt as a captain.”

Despite the disappointment of falling short in the final, Padikkal emphasised the positives for Karnataka, particularly the emergence of young players and the experience gained from reaching the title clash.

“So I have to start to really adjust to that as well. But at the same time, I’m really happy with the way the boys have played. There is a lot of young guys coming through and for them to get to a Ranji Trophy final so early in their career is something really incredible. And I’m sure that this will really motivate them and continue to improve them with this season under their belts. I’m sure coming back next year as well, I’m sure all these guys will continue to improve.”

Karnataka’s run to the final showcased their depth and resilience throughout the season, but they were ultimately outplayed by a determined Jammu & Kashmir side whose consistency and composure across all five days ensured a historic triumph in Indian domestic cricket’s premier tournament.

–IANS

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