Ranji Trophy 2024-25: ‘We have unearthed a great bowler,’ says Vidarbha skipper Wadkar on debutant Parth Rekhade

Ranji Trophy 2024-25: ‘We have unearthed a great bowler,’ says Vidarbha skipper Wadkar on debutant Parth Rekhade

Vidarbha seems to have cracked the code to earn outright wins by bowling teams out for low scores in the fourth innings this Ranji Trophy season.

The Akshay Wadkar-led side stormed to its sixth win in seven games after a 58-run victory over Hyderabad at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Sunday.

A second-innings century from Karun Nair helped the team fight back from a first-essay deficit and put up a 220-run target for Hyderabad to chase.

When curtains were drawn on the third day’s play, the visitor needed 197 runs to win with nine wickets in hand. But, come Sunday, Vidarbha ran through the batting order to earn a win before the Lunch interval.

“The wicket was getting drier and the cracks were starting to open up a bit. Our plan was to bowl stump-to-stump,” said skipper Wadkar after the match.

“If they manage to hit those balls away then we cannot do anything about it. We shouldn’t give them balls to hit outside the line,” he reckoned.

The side has conceded more than 200 runs only once in the fourth innings this season, although that too came in a 74-run win over Andhra in the opening group-stage match.

“We as a team have complete confidence in our bowlers. Even if the target was 200 or even 150 we knew they will help us win. It’s not easy making more than 200 in the fourth innings of a red-ball game,” the captain opined.

But, Wadkar reckons there are lessons to be learned from the game too, especially when it comes to batting on Day 1.

“We have to ensure we bat better in the first innings so that our bowlers aren’t put under a lot of pressure. We should not be forced to think about batting long in the third innings to save the match,” he said.

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and debutant Parth Rekhade were the main architects of the win with both bat and ball. The 59-run partnership between the duo propelled the home side to 355 in the third innings, before picking up eight wickets between them to bundle out Hyderabad for 161.

“We have unearthed a great bowler,” Wadkar said about Rekhade. “We wanted to test him in this game before the quarterfinal and he proved one hundred per cent that he is ready for First-Class cricket.”

“Both of them are of a similar age and have grown up together. Harsh is probably slightly more experienced but both of them are fully aware of how to bowl at this level,” he added.

Next up for the two-time champion is a quarterfinal date with Tamil Nadu at home and Wadkar believes his team has the upper hand heading into the contest.

“We have a home advantage. We are aware of how the wicket will play later in the game. The conditions are getting hotter and the wickets drier with every passing day,” he said.

“All these minute things make a lot of difference. The two teams will play at an equal level but a decision in a crucial moment might turn the game,” he added.