NAGPUR:
Jalaj Saxena, one of the success stories in the domestic circuit this season, feels the current
Vidarbha
side has the potential to win
Ranji Trophy on their maiden appearance when they take on Delhi in Indore from December 29.
“If they play like they have so far, Vidarbha can emerge best. They have an amazing combination of young and experienced players. Credit should go to coach Chandrakant Pandit for being able to bring out the best from both. That has been the key to Vidarbha’s success this season,” Jalaj, 31, told TOI.
Offspinner-allrounder Saxena, originally from Madhya Pradesh, represented Kerala this year. With 44 scalps, he is the leading wicket-taker this season. Against Vidarbha in the quarterfinal, Saxena picked up six wickets but couldn’t see his side through to a maiden semis.
Saxena says Vidarbha have always been very disciplined with their bowling. “They didn’t have big names earlier. Now, they have Umesh Yadav, Akshay Wakhare and Karn Sharma but it’s the unity and the team combination that is working for them,” he said.
On
Rajneesh Gurbani, the hero of Vidarbha’s shock quarterfinal win over Karnataka, Saxena says, “I’m very impressed with him. He is a very skillful bowler and puts equal efforts in his first and last spells. He always bowls with intensity and aims to take wickets.”
Vidarbha’s breathtaking performance in the semifinal doesn’t surprise Saxena. “If a team is in the semifinal, it must have done some good things to reach there. Though they didn’t put up enough runs in the first innings, they kept fighting. They kept coming back from difficult situations,” he said.
The allrounder has played with and against Vidarbha skipper
Faiz Fazal who, Saxena says, “is very friendly and helpful”. “He has a very positive nature. I am sure it has rubbed on to R Sanjay too,” he said.
Saxena added that Faiz has been getting better with every passing year. “No doubt he is the leading scorer. After playing for India, Faiz has matured a lot. He is handling the pressure of taking the team along with him very well,” he said.
Start a Conversation
Post comment