Having won the Ranji title with aplomb, Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar wants to extend his side’s dominance with victory in the one-off Irani Cup match starting Wednesday. Wicketkeeper-batter Wadkar enthused confidence during the pre-match presser and said his side is better prepared as compared to Rest of India and they have only one aim, to win the match. “The only objective is to win the match. That’s going to be the mindset. Our batting group is in form. Danish, Yash and Dhruv are in very good nick and Harsh and Yash Thakur have arrived from India A responsibilities. I am confident it will be a good match,” said Wadkar. The Vidarbha skipper said that his side is much better prepared and Rest of India will need time to find right combination. “Our team-bonding is far better than Rest of India’s since they have grouped from various states of India. It will obviously take some time for them to work out the combinations.

 

We have a slight advantage in this regard,” he pointed out. Wadkar said Vidarbha will definitely have the advantage while going into the match. “We have been playing on this very ground for a while now and know these conditions for years. We have played last season’s Ranji matches against Gujarat, Mumbai, Kerala... so we are used to this environment. We will obviously enjoy the home advantage in that regard,” the Vidarbha captain concluded.