Hubballi, February 28 Qamran Iqbal's century in the Ranji Trophy final, which was as thrilling as it was brilliant, came at a moment's notice to replace the injured Shubham Khajuria.
After a last-minute flight to Hubballi, Iqbal scored an unbeaten 160 to help Jammu and Kashmir win their first title in the country's premier domestic tournament.
Iqbal was resting at his home in Srinagar when he received a call to join the team immediately.
The stylish opener received the call from the team management on February 23 at 3 pm, triggering a race against time to join the squad before the scheduled start of play the following morning.
"Shubham Khajuria was injured, and I received a call from the team management. I took a flight in the evening and arrived here at 8 in the morning," he said.
Iqbal's jet lag was evident in his batting in the first innings against Karnataka, as he scored only six runs. However, he made it count in the second innings by scoring a magnificent century before the two captains decided to shake hands and end the proceedings.
On his performance, the batter said he had been practising a lot and playing matches prior to his selection in the state team.
"It was both confidence and tactics, as it was a new ball on the first day," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir etched their name in the history books by winning their maiden Ranji Trophy title, based on a first-innings lead, after the final against Karnataka ended in a draw.
Iqbal thanked everyone who was part of the journey.
"Congratulations to JKCA. I will start working with the JKCA administration. Mithun (Manhas) sir was also there, Ajay (coach Sharma) sir, Majid sir. We had a lot of practice in the pre-season, and we were sent to play outside.
"Rajesh sir is very focused on the team and doesn't take anything lightly. This is a result of that," he added.
Iqbal was full of praise for the senior players, saying the team environment was very healthy and lively.
"Senior players like Paras, Shubham, and Aqib are bowling express pace. Everyone has put in their efforts for the team, and everyone has contributed," he said.
On future plans, he said the team was focused on one match at a time.
"Today, we will celebrate, and then let's see what happens in the future," he said.
