Junoon is the word Aquib Nabi’s father, Ghulam Nabi Dar, uses to describe his son’s love for cricket. “I even remember locking him in a room to study and he’d escape through the windows to go play,” he says, as Aquib’s grandmother, mother and sister sit glued to the television. Around them gleam the endorsement of this love: rooms full of cricketing trophies.

Suddenly, the house in the small town of Sheeri just beyond Baramulla erupts in joy: the J&K team has just won the finals of the Ranji Trophy — the first in six decades of cricket history in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Saturday, the J&K team beat eight-time titlist Karnataka to win its maiden Ranji Trophy at the Karnataka State Cricket Association. The historic win has united not only leaders across the political divide but also the two regions of the UT.

Congratulating the team, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha called it “J&K’s finest hour”. “Emotions surging beyond words as I watch our Cricket team claiming the Ranji Trophy. To every fierce player who carved history through sheer grit; thank you from the entire UT beaming with pride. You have immortalised history – embrace it with honor,” the office of Lt Governor wrote on its X handle.

Meanwhile, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who announced a cash reward of Rs 2 crore for the cricketers and support staff, described the victory as a “watershed moment” in Jammu and Kashmir’s sports history and said the players could be considered for government appointments.

“The landmark win has filled the entire region with pride and inspiration,” CM Omar said. “The players will also be entitled to government appointments under the recently notified rules for outstanding sportspersons”.

But the loudest celebrations were in ordinary homes, where families watched their sons chase a dream that was once dismissed as impossible.

In the Nabi house, the victory is twice as sweet: the 29-year-old took the highest number of wickets this Ranji season with at least three five-wicket hauls, including in the final. A rising star, Aquib was picked up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore in this year’s IPL season.

Mehmooda describes her son, one of her three children, as a “quiet but restless boy”. “Sharief aur chup chap hai,” she says, smiling. A BA graduate from Srinagar’s Amar Singh College, cricket was always his first love. Ghulam, a government school teacher, wanted his son to be a doctor, but Aquib had other plans.

“We never took his cricketing career too seriously until he qualified for the under-19 team,” says Ghulam. “He would keep getting scolded by me. I never wanted to buy him a bat or any of the kit required for him to play seriously but he was so passionate that eventually I gave in.”

In Kathar village — the last hamlet in Jammu district’s Akhnoor — left-arm pacer Sunil Kumar’s mother Rekha Devi stands with her head bowed before an idol of Vaishno Devi. Outside, the beat of the dhol and laughter grow louder.

The youngest of four children, Sunil Kumar took 29 wickets in eight matches.

Like Aquib, Sunil Kumar too showed an early inclination for cricket. “He was always fond of cricket and used to ask for a bat and ball when he could hardly speak. I bought him a plastic bat and a ball when he was four,” Rekha says, adding: “We used to ask him to do studies as well, but we never stopped him from playing cricket”.

Sunil first came into notice when he took eight wickets for a local cricket club in Akhnoor in December 2020.  “He was later selected as net bowler by the KKR,” his friend and former teammate Muneesh Sharma says.

The victory has drawn reactions across the political spectrum, with PM Narendra Modi calling it a triumph of “remarkable grit, discipline and passion of the team”. “It is a proud moment for the people of J&K and it highlights the growing sporting passion and talent there. May this feat inspire many young athletes to dream big and play more,” he posted on X.

The victory also united political rivals in J&K. While PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the emphatic victory is a “reminder to the world that the spirit of J&K can never be broken”, BJP’s J&K President Sat Sharma said the team’s “grit, passion and teamwork have made the entire J&K immensely proud”.