Nagpur: Two wins from as many matches. Vidarbha would not have asked for any better start to their Ranji Trophy season. The Akshay Wadkar-led side has managed to pick 12 points from two games and is on the top of Group B with an all-win record. With their confidence level high, Vidarbha would aim to maintain their supremacy in coming matches as well with Uttarakhand being their next target.
After playing their two matches in energy sapping heat, one at home against Andhra and the latest against Pondicherry in an away game, Vidarbha would be more than happy to play at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun where the temperature would be relatively cooler. But the intensity will be on higher side when Vidarbha players take the field from Saturday.
Gold Rate
Saturday18 Jan. 2025
They have been on a roll with bowlers taking 20 wickets in both the matches, helping them keep their slate clean. The pressure would be on the top four batters who managed only 48 runs in their last match against Pondicherry. AthravaTaide, Dhruv Shorey, Aman Mokhade and Karun Nair will have to score in bulk at the top if Vidarbha want to keep the winning run going against Uttarakhand, who will be pepped up after their first win of the season against Hyderabad in their own backyard a few days back.
Vidarbha’s Taide already has a century under his belt while Nair looked good with his 43 in the second innings against Andhra. But the former Karnataka player has managed only 1 and 25 against Pondicherry. With tons of experience of 107 First-Class matches including seven Tests, the 32-yearold Nair has the ability to take on any bowling attack on his own. With over 7000 runs including 19 centuries, Nair will have to score runs in tons if he wishes to knock India doors once again.
Shorey, who missed the opening game due to injury, will also be eager to be among runs after a forgettable game against Pondicherry (1 and 6 runs). Captain and wicketkeeper Wadkar has been the linchpin of Vidarbha and has stood strong when the team was in trouble. The middle-order mainstay will have to keep on holding one end if there is a sudden collapse.
The bowling department, especially spinners have won both the matches for Vidarbha. All eyes would be on veteran spinner Akshay Wakhare who would be playing his 100th First-Class game. Wakhare and young Harsh Dubey have formed a potent spin attack and both would be important in Vidarbha’s march. Dubey has been in fine form with 15 wickets from two games this season and the slow left-arm orthodox will be a dangerous tweaker for Uttarakhand.
The home team will once again look up to opener Avneesh Sudha and Vaibhav Bhatt. Sudha has a half century (89) and 96 against his name from the last encounter against Hyderabad whom they defeated by 78 runs. Ravikumar Samarth and Kunal Chandela will hold the middle order with Yuvraj Chaudhary.
The bowling department will be spearheaded by Deepak Dhopla who took a fifer in the last match. Left-arm orthodox Swapnil Singh had scalped six Hyderabad wickets and will aim to trouble Vidarbha batters.
