Akshay Wadkar, the Vidarbha captain, is all smiles with his daughter Raghavi after defeating Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Friday, February 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Amol Karhadkar
Akshay Wadkar and Aditya Sarwate are the only two cricketers to have featured in each of Vidarbha’s three Ranji Trophy finals so far. Come Saturday and the duo will yet again enter the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on the outskirts of Nagpur, albeit with a difference. In what will be Vidarbha’s fourth Ranji final, the duo will be in opposite camps.
While Wadkar — who debuted in Vidarbha’s maiden triumphant season — will lead Vidarbha’s quest for its third Ranji title, Sarwate will be hoping to add another trophy to his cabinet, having switched over to Kerala as a guest player at the start of the domestic season.
“It will be slightly odd, no doubt. All of us know each other so well. We hang out together. He is a class bowler, with 300-plus wickets (in First Class cricket) and scores crucial runs whenever the team needs it. But I don’t think it will be too much of a factor,” Wadkar told The Hindu after celebrating Vidarbha’s victory against Mumbai on Friday.
Despite heaping praise on his former teammate, Wadkar did not budge from cautioning Sarwate. “In fact, if it all it will be a factor, it will be to our advantage. All of us have played with and against him so frequently, so we know exactly his strengths and weaknesses,” Wadkar said.
Left-arm spin allrounder Harsh Dubey has ensured Vidarbha has not felt Sarwate’s absence at all this season by filling his shoes to perfection. With a whopping tally of 66 wickets, Dubey is just three wickets short of becoming the highest wicket-taker in a Ranji season. Add to it his 460 runs lower down the order, and it proves his worth a lot.
“He has been a vital cog for us. Leave the record aside, we just hope he will continue in the same vein in the final,” Wadkar said.
Published – February 22, 2025 07:49 pm IST