Sixty-seven years after making a debut in the Ranji Trophy, Jammu and Kashmir scripted history on Wednesday by storming into the tournament’s final for the first time, beating Bengal by six wickets in an impressive semifinal win.Euphoric scenes were witnessed at the Bengal Cricket Academy stadium in Kalyani as J&K teammates and support staff rushed to the ground to hug Abdul Samad (30) and rookie batsman Vanshaj Sharma (43), who hit a six to spark off wild celebrations.It has been nothing short of a wild run for the underdogs who have stung some of the big names in the domestic cricket tournament. In their Group D quarterfinals, J&K had defeated Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs at their homeground Holkar Stadium in Indore. Before that, they had lost to 42-time champions Mumbai by five wickets but managed to beat Rajasthan by an innings and 41 runs and conquered Delhi with a seven-wicket win to enter the knockouts.Come February 24, five-time champion Karnataka stand in between the trophy and the J&K lads whose dream run could see them become Ranji Trophy champions for the first time in the premier domestic tournament in the country.The team kicked off a dream run this season on the shoulders of gritty valley lads who have just seen the beginning of IPL glitz. Player of the match Auqib Nabi’s stunning nine-wicket match haul and their IPL starlet Abdul Samad’s aggression shone over two-time champs Bengal with four India internationals–Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Shahbaz Ahmed, and India A star batter Abhimanyu Easwran–all coming up short against a rag tag team. Coach Ajay Sharma and their 41-year-old captain Paras Dogra, who completed 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy during the match, have been central to the team’s change of fortune.“It’s a big achievement, never thought about it. I enjoyed the journey full of ups and downs. The game makes you a strong human being,” skipper Dogra said.Chasing 126, J&K rode on Samad’s unbeaten 30 runs and Vanshaj Sharma’s 43 not out as the duo stitched an unbroken 55-run stand for the fourth wicket to seal victory on the fourth and penultimate day of their semifinal. Samad, who had done the bulk of the damage, gave 22-year-old Vanshaj the charge to finish it off in style. The youngster hoicked Mukesh Kumar over long-on for six to complete the formalities. “Last time we missed it in the quarters but we did all the hard work and we deserved it,” said Nabi after winning the man-of-the-match award.Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha congratulated the team on their “magnificent victory”. “You have etched a new golden chapter in the sporting history of J&K. Entire UT is proud of your extraordinary performance. May you continue this winning momentum and bring glory to J&K,” he said.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the landmark achievement reflected the team’s “determination, discipline and rising sporting culture” in Jammu and Kashmir. He also congratulated captain Paras Dogra for becoming the second player in the Indian domestic circuit to score over 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy and Auqib Nabi for his nine-wicket haul in the semifinal.J&K have often been strugglers in the Ranji Trophy, registering their first victory after 44 years of making debut against Services in 1982-83. Having played 334 Ranji matches before this season and winning only 45 sums up the treacherous journey of J&K cricket. They have shown flashes of brilliance but inconsistency has been their undoing. The team gets very little time to practice in extreme cold weather conditions with bare minimum infrastructure.J&K cricket has always suffered because of alleged administrative wrangling and political interference. Their knockout appearances in the Ranji Trophy were rare. A breakthrough came in 2013-14 when they edged Goa on net run rate to reach the quarterfinals, and in 2015-16 they stunned Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium under Parveez Rasool, their first India international.