All after 36 long years Vidarbha thump Madhya Pradesh by 7 wkts
| Date :06-Oct-2020 |
Vidarbha players flash victory sign after their historical win over Madhya Pradesh at Civil Lines ground.
By Anupam Soni :
THERE are some spells by bowlers and some knocks by batsmen that do not seem significant when you look at the scorecard some years later. But when one goes back in time to relive those moments then one realises the importance of those little (or substantial) contributions that changed complexion of the game. One such spell by skipper Pritam Gandhe and a defiant knock by a young opener Faiz Fazal gave Vidarbha a memorable win. The game was Vidarbha versus Madhya Pradesh Ranji Trophy Plate League Group A encounter that was played at VCA Civil Lines ground in December 2006.
On a turf that had a tinge of green, Gandhe had no hesitation in inviting the opponents to have first strike. Vidarbha’s left-arm seamer Chandrashekhar Atram had Naman Ojha brilliantly caught at the wicket by Amit Deshpande for two. Right-arm seamer Sandeep Singh cleaned up the other opener Jalaj Saxena (18). The experienced duo of Mohnish Mishra (47) and Devendra Bundela (31) took the team to 100 from 35-2 and it looked like hard work ahead for the hosts. Tweaker Madhusudan Acharya gave the much needed breakthrough by having Bundela.
Gandhe, who came as the sixth bowler, struck twice within 15 runs. He had Mishra and Amay Khurasiya as his first two of the five victims in that innings. Leg-spinner Sameer Khare took two as MP skipper Abbas Ali (34) saw wickets falling from non-striker’s end. Gandhe polished off the tail as MP, 100-2 at one stage were shot out for 221. Vidarbha openers Deshpande (5*) and Faiz (4*) saw off the day scoring ten runs. “I got my right elbow badly injured while playing a Times Shield match in Mumbai and was asked to take rest for about one and a half month. I missed Vidarbha’s first two games at Pallakad (against Kerala) and Goa. The good thing was that the team management included me in the team and asked me to travel with the squad. That kept me in thick of the things.
I was into that match maahol. It was a very good decision. “Coming into this match, I was fresh, the ball was coming out nicely and that helped me get wickets. I had my bunny Amay Khurasiya for one more time. The wicket was green and to have MP bowled out on opening day turned out to be one of the turning points of the match. However, after those spells, I felt stiffness in my arm and was uncomfortable for some time,” Gandhe recalled his spell on opening day of his first match of the season. After the overnight pair of Deshpande (20) and Faiz (14) did well to negotiate the crucial first hour, three wickets — two by MP debutant Ashutosh Jadhav, put Vidarbha in a spot of bother. Left-handed Acharya (54) and Alind Naidu (52) stitched an important 99-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Khare (27) and Owamir Afzal (23) got starts but played poor shots.
A 28-ball 30 by Gandhe helped the team score 281 for a 60-run lead. Atram (2-30) and Singh (4-47) gave the hosts a fiery start. MP had lost four second innings wickets for 57 runs while still trailing by three runs. Skipper Ali staged a lone battle scoring 85 runs. Wickets kept on falling from the other end as MP managed 210 setting a target of 151 runs. By end of Day Three, Faiz (21*) and Deshpande (9*) made 39 of those from 13 overs without being separated. On the fourth and final day of the match they needed 112 runs to record a win over MP after a gap of 36 years. The number of required runs looked easier from outside. It was tough though on a double-paced tricky last day track.
Faiz, who was fresh from a important score of 80 made at Delhi for the U-22 squad on an uplayable surface in Delhi, delivered this time for the senior side. Three wickets fell on the morrow but a composed Faiz (79*) and Naidu (28*) ensured the long jinx was broken. Vidarbha recorded an emphatic and historical seven-wicket win with more than a session to spare. “During this match, we always had the upper hand except the first hour on last day. I told Faiz (Fazal) and Alind (Naidu) to play their natural game with some caution.
Praveen Hinganikar
They saw us through. It was a great effort by our batsmen Faiz, (Madhusudan) Acharya and Alind on a tricky pitch. It was a team effort,” said the then coach and former Vidarbha skipper Praveen Hinganikar while interacting with ‘The Hitavada’ from Dhaka. He is presently Chief Curator of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. “With the chase distributed over two days, it became easier. Deshpande, Faiz and Alind made sure we made it. Later we came to know that we have beaten MP after a huge gap of 36 years,” said Gandhe.