Jammu and Kashmir will be stronger next Ranji Trophy season: Parveez Rasool

Their fairytale run in the Ranji Trophy came to an end with a crushing quarterfinal loss on Saturday but Jammu and Kashmir captain Parveez Rasool said his team is not disheartened and will emerge stronger next season.

Jammu lost by 100 runs against Punjab in the last-eight stage match here but Rasool chose to focus on the positives. "We are not disappointed and will work hard to improve our performance during the Ranji Trophy next season," the all-rounder said after the match.

Reflecting on the loss, Rasool said the team needed some good partnerships while chasing 324. "We needed some partnership but VRV Singh bowled well and unfortunately, we couldn't put up a stand," Rasool said.

"Once our set batsmen, Hardeep Singh, got injured, we didn't play well against VRV. One batsman should have stood with him. A 300-plus target is not easy to chase, but we fought well," he added.

Meanwhile, Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh praised VRV and said his team was positive about the semifinal against Karnataka starting January 18 in Mohali. "VRV is a match-winner for us. The way he bowled against Haryana and here, he proved how useful he is for Punjab. I hope to see him get back in the India team one day," Bhajji said.

Harbhajan also expressed delight at being retained by his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians but said he would miss the team's icon player Sachin Tendulkar, who retired last year. "I hope Sachin will come to the ground and inspire us."