By Paritosh Pramanik THE first cup of tea tasted bland in the morning in Vidarbha dressing room when the hosts lost two wickets in first five deliveries of the day. Even before the players were settled in their seats, opener Dhruv Shorey (0) and Darshan Nalkande (0) were sent back by Pondicherry pacer Gaurav Yadav on the opening day of the Elite Group ‘A’ match at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium. After over an hour of play, things looked more bleak with Vidarbha staring down the barrel with 54-5 on the board. However, the script changed from there on when vice-captain Yash Rathod (131*) and captain Akshay Wadkar (112*) once again bailed out Vidarbha with an unbeaten double century stand. They have stitched crucial partnerships on several occasions and on Sunday; the two repeated the stories of 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with another big partnership to save the hosts from a precarious position. The Rathod-Wadkar pair put up 246 runs for the sixth wicket to help Vidarbha post 300 for 5 in 85 overs. The two played responsibly and first steadied the rocking ship taking as they took lunch at 102 for five. They then continued with their impressive knocks as Vidarbha took tea at 194 without losing any wicket. The two-hour second session saw Vidarbha adding 92 runs. They did not stop there and continued taking Vidarbha’s score to 300 without any further dent. In the process, Rathod completed his 11th First-Class century as he geared up for the India ‘A’ tour of New Zealand. Rathod’s century had 10 boundaries and a six from 130 deliveries. He proved that he is made for big occasions and this knock will give him a ton of confidence when he joins his India ‘A’ teammates in next few days. Wadkar, too, scripted his 12th First-Class century few overs later.

 

His knock came from 192 balls and had 12 boundaries which put Vidarbha in a position of strength. Rathod and Wadkar have saved Vidarbha on quite a few occasions. During the semi-finals against Madhya Pradesh in 2023- 24, the two had added 158 runs for the sixth wicket when Vidarbha were 161-5. Rathod had scored unbeaten 97 while Wadkar had put up 77 in that game. Then again in the next year’s semis against Mumbai, the two added 91 runs for the fifth wicket when Vidarbha were 56-4 in the second innings. Rathod had scored unbeaten 59 and Wadkar had put up 31 undefeated runs. In the same season against Rajasthan they had put up 94 runs for the sixth wicket to steady Vidarbha’s innings at Jaipur. Wadkar went on to score 102 while Rathod had missed his century by two runs in that match. The two batters frustrated Pondicherry bowlers including Vijai Raja and Yadav who both took two wickets in the morning. As the last session approached Rathod started showing his aggressive side. He stepped out to hit a couple of boundaries in the same over of spinner Ritesh Gutke. He also hit a six, only of the day, off Yadav. Wadkar played the captain’s knock, steady and composed. His sixth season as captain of Vidarbha Ranji team has started on a positive note. In 28 matches as skipper, Wadkar has 20 outright victories and six draws. On the first day, his intentions looked clear that the wicketkeeper-batter wants to extend that positive graph. Spectators, relatives and parents of players occupied stands in front of players’ dressing room. There was a sombre mood in the morning. But when Wadkar and Rathod joined in the middle they cheered every shot, every boundary scored as the mood changed. As the shadows lengthened, they shared tea with each other. And this time it tasted sweet with HONEY (Rathod’s nickname)!