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Vidarbha beat Saurashtra by 78 runs to defend Ranji Trophy title

Vidarbha beat Saurashtra by 78 runs to defend Ranji Trophy title as left arm spinner Aditya Sarwate shines with 11 wickets

Vidarbha players celebrate their Ranji Trophy title win

Nagpur, February 7: Vidarbha defended the Ranji Trophy title in style beating Saurashtra by 78 runs at the VCA stadium here on Thursday (February 7).

Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate was the chief architect of their win with a six-wicket haul in the second inning, taking his match tally to 11 wickets.

For the records, Saurashtra were bundled out for 127 chasing 205 on the fifth and final day. Sarwate hastened the collapse taking six wickets conceding 59 runs. Akshay Wakhare supported him bagging three wickets as Saurashtra, overnight five down, were folded without any meaningful fight despite having Cheteshwar Pujara in their ranks.

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1. Faiz Fazal (Vidarbha Captain)

1. Faiz Fazal (Vidarbha Captain)

"It feels unreal. Behind this, there is a lot of hard work. The emotions are different from the first time we won it. The pressure and expectations were higher this time. Our off-season preparation went very well and we worked very hard. The best chef doesn't reveal all the ingredients and I would say that we worked hard. I can't thank the support staff enough as they worked really hard with and on us."

2. Chandrakant Pandit (Vidarbha coach)

2. Chandrakant Pandit (Vidarbha coach)

"When we started poorly, we believed in the routines and process. It's very important to have the support of the association. We were lucky to have Prashant Vaidya, who has been a cricketer himself, backing us to the hilt."

3. Wasim Jaffer (Vidarbha batsmen, more than 1000 runs this season)

3. Wasim Jaffer (Vidarbha batsmen, more than 1000 runs this season)

"When I moved to Vidarbha, I didn't expect to reach the final, let alone winning it. I am happy to win two in two years. Playing in a winning team motivates you. And Akshay Wakhare on Jaffer: "It's an indicator of Waseem's influence that we have played so well. He has been a professional and has had an impact on everyone's game. People called the first win as a fluke. I am happy with the second fluke as well."

4. Umesh Yadav (Vidarbha pacer)

4. Umesh Yadav (Vidarbha pacer)

"Vidarbha has played well for the last 3-4 seasons. So, winning the Ranji Trophy for the second time in a row isn't a surprise. It's definitely good that we have put Vidarbha on the cricketing map of the country. It has motivated the kids to take up cricket. It's a good indicator of how good the support staff is that players haven't got injured through the season."

5. Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra captain)

5. Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra captain)

"It was a close affair and the final lived up to the expectations. The brand of the cricket we played, till the time I captain this team, I will ensure we continuing the same brand. I hope we have more finals in us. The youngsters have supported the stars in our team effectively. We are proud to be holding the runners-up trophy as well because we have given it our all. Vidarbha deserve all the credit and I am a fan of their brand of cricket as well."

Story first published: Thursday, February 7, 2019, 14:39 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 7, 2019