ഇറാനി കപ്പിലെ തോൽവിക്ക് ശേഷം രഞ്ജി ട്രോഫിയിൽ കിരീടം നിലനിർത്താനൊരുങ്ങുന്ന ജമ്മു കശ്മീരിന് ഔഖിബ് നബിയുടെ സാന്നിധ്യം വലിയ ആത്മവിശ്വാസം നൽകുന്നു. മധ്യപ്രദേശിനെതിരായ ആദ്യ മത്സരത്തിൽ നബി കളിക്കും. ടീമിലെ മറ്റ് ബൗളർമാരിലും ക്യാപ്റ്റൻ പരസ് ദോഗ്ര വിശ്വാസമർപ്പിക്കുന്നു. കഴിഞ്ഞ മത്സരത്തിലെ പാളിച്ചകൾ തിരുത്തി പുതിയ തുടക്കത്തിനാണ് ടീം ലക്ഷ്യമിടുന്നത്.
Auqib Nabi's presence gives Jammu and Kashmir an early boost, but Paras Dogra knows the defending champion will need more than its pace spearhead to put the Irani Cup disappointment behind it.
As J&K begins its Ranji Trophy title defence against Madhya Pradesh at the Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium on Sunday, the captain is banking on the lessons from that defeat and the depth of his squad to start afresh.
Nabi will be available for the season opener before leaving for New Zealand with India's 'A' team, and his return is particularly significant after J&K's 167-run defeat to Rest of India in the Irani Cup last week.
Dogra, however, is confident that the team has enough resources to cope with his absence through the season. "Everyone knows Auqib will be here for just this one game and will leave after that. But we have our strength, and we back the other players too. Umar Nazir did really well. Sunil (Kumar) is there, and (Nasir) Lone has been around as well; he can contribute with the bat too. Rohit Sharma has also been with the team for five or six years and has played 20-25 matches. He is another good option, and these players will get opportunities to prove themselves," Dogra told Sportstar on Saturday.
Even then, having Nabi back for the opener is a major plus.
"It is a very good sign for us that Auqib is here for this match, especially after losing the Irani Cup. If we had won that game, perhaps his presence would not have felt as significant, but mentally it makes a difference," he said.
The bigger task is to ensure that the Irani Cup defeat serves as a lesson rather than a lingering setback. J&K had taken a 41-run first-innings lead but could not build on it, collapsing in the second innings. For Dogra, the inability to string together substantial partnerships was one of the key shortcomings.
"On a wicket like this, nobody gets set easily. If someone does get set, we have to make that partnership last. We collapsed in the second innings. We have always talked as a group about not losing wickets in clusters and about building good partnerships," he said.
Dogra also felt J&K could have considered playing four fast bowlers. But with the new season beginning, he wants the team to focus on what lies ahead rather than dwell on what might have been.
"We just want to play good cricket. Winning is not entirely in our hands. When we reached the quarterfinal two years ago, our approach was the same: play good cricket. Even when we won the final, the idea was to play good cricket. We will do that this year too, and then see what happens," he said.
For 41-year-old Dogra, the motivation to keep going comes from the challenge itself. "Not everyone gets the opportunity to play. I am getting that opportunity, so I ask myself, why not take on the challenge? I like challenges. Even in a difficult situation, there may be only a one per cent chance of succeeding. But there is a joy in trying to make that one per cent count that money or anything else cannot give you," he said.
"I do not care about reputation any more. I keep it simple -- there is a match, and we will try to win it. That is all," the captain said with a smile.
J&K will play two consecutive home games - against MP and Vidarbha - before travelling to Vadodara for an away game in the third round.