Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar has no qualms about facing 41-time champs Mumbai on their home turf
Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar
Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar, who scored 77, putting on 158 runs with centurion Yash Rathod for the sixth wicket to help his team overcome Madhya Pradesh and reach Sunday’s final against Mumbai, isn’t stressed about facing the 41-time champions on their home turf.
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“The final is just another match. Yes, we will be playing Mumbai in Mumbai, but we will try to understand conditions and play according to the situation,” Wadkar remarked.
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Coach Usman Ghani
Third Ranji final for Vidarbha
Coached by Chandrakant Pandit, Vidarbha won successive Ranji titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Wadkar, who figured in both those title triumphs, reckoned the latest high (semi-final victory over MP) was a complete team effort. Despite scoring 530 runs with seven half-centuries in the tournament, Wadkar, 29, is not satisfied. “I didn’t convert them [50s] into hundreds. Despite good starts I was not able to convert.
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“But yes, four out of those seven half-centuries were scored when we had lost eight or nine wickets. I am confident that I will make it count in the next game [the final],” said Wadkar.
“We trained under him [Pandit] for three years, which helped us to be one step ahead in the game against MP,” Wadkar told mid-day from Nagpur.
Coach Ghani confident
Meanwhile, Vidarbha’s coach Usman Ghani, who guided the Vidarbha U-19 team to clinch the Cooch Behar Trophy and Vinoo Mankad Trophy last season, has no doubts that the final all be a high-pressure game. “Our boys know how to play in finals. Our team are a mixture of youth and experienced players. It’s a pressure game for both teams and whoever handles the pressure will succeed,” Ghani said.
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