When Jammu and Kashmir travelled to Mumbai last month, not many expected the team to defeat the domestic giant in its den.

But the visiting team not only bagged a convincing win on a red-soil surface but also followed it up with another convincing win against Baroda to storm into the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals as the table-topper from Elite Group A.

Shubham Khajuria, who has been J&K’s highest run-getter this season, believes that practising regularly on red-soil pitches helped the team dominate against Baroda and Mumbai.

“We didn’t have red-soil surfaces in J&K before. We would always play on black-soil wickets but the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) prepared red-soil surfaces for our training in Jammu and since we practised on those pitches, it helped us,” Khajuria told  Sportstar on Friday.

“Earlier, we would prepare on black-soil pitches and that’s why we struggled to adjust while playing on red soil. But this time, since we were well prepared, it was of immense help,” he added.

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With a long-term view in mind, the JKCA introduced a red-soil surface at the GGM Science College ground in Jammu, and according to Mithun Manhas, former cricketer and a member of the JKCA sub-committee, the idea was to ensure that our boys don’t struggle on the red-soil surfaces found in the western and southern parts of India.

The JKCA is currently developing eight squares at the Science College ground, four of which will feature red-soil surfaces, while the other four will be black-soil pitches tailored to suit local conditions.

While this approach helped, the J&K players have also been able to execute the plans to perfection so far. Ahead of the knockout fixture, Khajuria is wary of squandering starts.

“In Mumbai, I hit a wrong shot while batting on 45, and in the last match against Baroda, I missed out on a century by six runs. So, if I get a start now, I will have to convert it,” the batter said.

“And in such an important match, being a senior player, I need to ensure that I don’t repeat the same mistakes.”