Vidarbha squad included three new faces for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21 is set to take place between February 20 and March 14 as announced by BCCI after the successful completion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.
Vidarbha Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy
According to information received, Faiz Fazal is back to take the command of a well-balanced side, which has three new faces in all-rounders Harsh Dubey and Kshitij Dahiya besides pacer Suraj Rai. Akshay Wadkar will be Faiz’s deputy. It’s also an indication that the team management and the selectors are looking up to him for a leadership role now.
Opener Sanjay Ramaswamy also made his way into the side with some consistent performances. The classy right-hander has been in blazing form throughout the Guzder League. Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, who has been ignored for the shorter formats in the past, too has been included.
“Gurbani is bowling extremely well. The ball is coming nicely out of his hand. He is swinging nicely. His experience will help Vidarbha,” a source in Vidarbha Cricket Association told TOI.
All-rounder Aditya Sarvate is also included in the side. “He is performing well with both bat and ball. His fitness has also improved,” the source added.
Sarvate hasn’t been regular in white ball formats in the past but Vidarbha’s disastrous performance in Mushtaq Ali Trophy and extended squad due to Covid-19 protocols might have forced selectors to consider him.
Dubey, a former India Under-19 all-rounder, forced his way to the side with some superb performance in Guzder League where he emerged the top wicket-taker. He also made some meaningful contributions with the bat.
Dahiya has been a revelation. His 193-run knock against Medical Representative Cricket Club — which had bowlers like Shrikant Wagh, Darshan Nalkande, Shubham Kapse, Rohit Dattatray and Mohit Raut — played a big part in his selection.
While most of the players selected themselves, Apoorv Wankhade’s name was missing from the 22-member squad.
“He needs to show a bit more consistency. He is no longer a rookie and has been around for seven-eight years now. While the selectors don’t doubt his ability, Wankhade needs to work on consistency,” the source said.
Vidarbha players will assemble at VCA’s residential academy on Thursday morning where they will undergo Covid-19 tests. After the results, the team may have a couple of practice sessions before they leave for Indore on February 13.
Vidarbha have been placed in the Elite B group along with Tamil Nadu, Punjab, hosts Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh.
SQUAD
Faiz Fazal (captain), Akshay Wadkar (vice-captain), Sanjay Ramaswamy, Siddhesh Wath, Jitesh Sharma, Ganesh Satish, Yash Rathod, Kshitij Dahiya, Darashan Nalkande, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakare, Suraj Rai, Akshay Wakhare, Harsh Dubey, Mohit Raut, Aditya Sarvate, Nachiket Bhute, Rishabh Rathod, Mandar Mahale, Rajneesh Gurbani, Akshay Karnewar, Atharv Taide
Standby: Parth Rekhade, Saurabh Dubey & Shubham Dubey.
