Journey over for now, Uttarakhand set their sights on bigger goals as Ranji Trophy campaign ends

Lucknow: Since coming into existence in 2018, Uttarakhand have reached the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy on two occasions. They went one better this time as they made it to the semifinals of India’s premier domestic competition. However, they failed to take the final step towards the title clash as Karnataka got the better of them by virtue of their sizeable first-innings lead in the last-four clash.Though the team is disappointed with the outcome of the semifinal, Uttarakhand coach Manish Jha felt proud of his side’s performance.“As a team, it was a big challenge for us to break the quarterfinal barrier and reach the semifinals. We tried our best but things didn’t go our way in the match against Karnataka. Our aim now would be to enter the final next year and clinch the trophy for the first time. But overall, it was a very good journey for us,” said Jha. Jha believes Uttarakhand’s journey to the semifinal has been a huge learning curve.He admits that the lack of big-match experience let them down in the last-four clash. “We have played the quarterfinals before and we have treated it as just another game. We wanted to have the same approach in the semis. But we were very emotional in the dressing room after we managed to enter the semifinal. I think we got carried away with that in the semis. We couldn’t capitalise on the small advantages we managed to create in the semis and that let us down,” the coach admitted.Despite the semifinal exit, Jha feels the future is bright for Uttarakhand cricket.“Our left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra (59 wkts) is the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy this season. Kunal Chandela is in the top ten run-getters club. We have teenagers like Lakshya Raichandani and Aditya Rawat who have huge potential. These are the players who aspire to play for India. Players from our state don’t get too much exposure. But they are showing their mettle by holding their nerve and delivering when it matters.”