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

Lucknow: Uttarakhand’s historic surge into the Ranji Trophy semifinals has come to a halt in Lucknow, where Karnataka’s commanding first-innings lead proved decisive, but the youngest state side in Indian domestic cricket is already plotting the next leap. Since their 2018 inception, Uttarakhand had twice reached the quarterfinals; this season they shattered that ceiling before stumbling one step short of the final.

Coach Manish Jha, reflecting on the campaign, refused to let the disappointment overshadow the achievement. “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,” Jha said in the aftermath. “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.”

Jha admitted that the occasion may have overawed his squad. Celebrations in the dressing room after sealing a last-four spot lingered longer than planned, and the momentum slipped away early against a seasoned Karnataka unit. “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… I think we got carried away,” he conceded. “We couldn’t capitalise on the small advantages we managed to create in the semis and that let us down.”

Yet the coach sees unmistakable signs of a brighter future. Left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra finished the season as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 59 scalps, while opener Kunal Chandela muscled his way into the top-ten run charts. Teenagers Lakshya Raichandani and Aditya Rawat, untested at this level until recently, showcased composure that belied their age. “These are the players who aspire to play for India,” Jha noted. “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.”

With the semifinal exit still fresh, Uttarakhand have already turned the page. The journey, as Jha puts it, is “over for now”; the mission to go one better and lift the Ranji Trophy has only just begun.