Mumbai, October 6: Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar on Sunday joined a unique list of cricketers to win the Irani Cup both as a player and as captain. Wadkar achieved the feat as Vidarbha defeated Rest of India by 93 runs on the final day of the match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha here on Sunday. Chasing a target of 361, the Rest of India were bowled out for 267 despite a valiant 92 by Yash Dhull and an unbeaten 56 by Manav Suthar, who raised hopes of an unlikely chase midway through the day.
But the Vidarbha bowlers, led by pacer Harsh Dubey (4-73) and well supported by Aditya Thakare (2-27) and Yash Thakur (-47), helped the Ranji Trophy winners bundle out Rest of India for 267 and clinch a memorable victory. It was a very satisfying performance for skipper Wadkar.
“Winning each time has a different feeling, as a player was quite young and in a learning process–now in a commanding position, there are many youngsters in the team, there’s a bit more responsibility on me to give them proper guidance.
“This is a very young team; there’s a lot to learn. 400 plus what we were thinking (in the first innings), but this is what happens on these wickets, won’t get what we desired (in terms of total runs scored by Vidarbha in the 1st innings),” he added.
Vidarbha rode on a fine 143 by opener Atharva Taide and 91 by Yash Rathod to post 342 runs in their first innings. With pacer Yash Thakur grabbing 4-66, the Rest of India were restricted to 214, conceding a lead of 128 runs. The hosts then posted 232 in their second innings, setting Rest of India a stiff chase of 361. Wadkar said runs came at a premium in the match, and they had to make do with whatever they managed in the first innings.
“There just aren’t enough runs on the board, especially in a final. And we have to contain within that total. Taide played a good innings. The way he played got him a few chances, but thereafter, he grinded out in the middle, and when he wasn’t playing well, he stood there and grinded it out. This is the best bowling unit in India right now. I have confidence that the bowler will win us the game even if they had posted just 200,” he said.
This is the third time that Vidarbha have won the Irani Cup, but it could probably be their toughest as they had to quell a tough fightback from Yash Dhull in the second innings.
