<p>Jammu &amp; Kashmir&rsquo;s highest run-getter this season Shubham Khajuria, who played crucial role in his team reaching the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/hosts-on-the-front-foot-23485476" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><strong>Ranji Trophy</strong></a> knockouts, hailed coaches Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Joshi, Irfan Pathan and Ajay Sharma for shaping his career as J&amp;K opener.</p>
<p>Khajuria, 29, who scored 679 runs this season, now has 4,111 runs under his belt from 73 first-class games.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Khajuria, was just 15 when he made Ranji debut against Maharashtra in 2011. &ldquo;Bishan Singh Bedi sir (deceased) was the J&amp;K coach then and he worked a lot on my game and gave me the confidence to play at the first-class level,&rdquo; Khajuria told mid-day.com.</p>
<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/wpl-2025-mi-vs-gg-where-to-watch-match-time-head-to-head-records-squads-23485811" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">WPL 2025, MI vs GG: Where to watch, match time, head-to-head records, squads</a></strong></p>
<p>When J&amp;K outclassed Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in 2014-15, former India left arm-spinner Sunil Joshi was their coach. &ldquo;Sunil Joshi sir changed my batting style. At that time I was hitting sixes against spinners quite well. But I was not able to leave medium pacers balls bowled on the fourth and fifth stump. But after practising for one and half-months he made that area very strong. He also strengthened my defence against spinners as I was just hitting big shots. That season I scored 400-plus runs in the first four games before I dislocated my shoulder in the fifth match. I then had to undergo surgery,&rdquo; Khajuria recalled.</p>
<p>When former <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/sartape-to-lead-indian-wheelchair-cricket-team-against-nepal-23485739" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><strong>India</strong></a> all-rounders Irfan (in 2019-20) and Ajay (current coach) joined the J&amp;K team, they brought major changes in his mindset.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think the turning point of my career came when Irfan bhai became J&amp;K coach. In those two years he changed my mindset. I was taking too much pressure because we were not winning matches. He explained to me how I can help the team win games because I have that ability. His guidance helped me score runs in white-ball cricket too.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This season, Ajay sir brought about a major change in my batting. He pushed me to score big hundreds. Till last season I had six centuries in one-day [List A] and seven hundreds in first-class cricket, but all these centuries were not big knocks. But this season, I scored 255 [v Maharashtra], 159 [v Chhattisgarh] in a one-dayer and 85 not out [v Uttar Pradesh] in T20 cricket. All these scores were J&amp;K&rsquo;s highest individual performances,&rdquo; remarked Khajuria, who smashed a match-winning 94 against Baroda recently.</p>
<p>Pundits considered J&amp;K unlucky not to qualify for the Ranji knockout rounds after losing to Kerala.</p><p>
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J&K opener Khajuria thanks coaches Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Joshi, Irfan Pathan and Ajay Sharma for lifting his game

How J&K batter Shubham turned things around

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How J&K batter Shubham turned things around

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