As India Red gets ready to face off against India Blue in the second game of the Duleep Trophy here from Thursday, for the first time, up to six players from Vidarbha will be available for selection for the teams.
The reigning Ranji and Irani Trophy champion had a fairytale run in the last domestic season and its players have been deservedly rewarded with spots in the feeder teams for the national side.
India Blue skipper Faiz Fazal, who led Vidarbha to its maiden Ranji title was beaming with pride at the performance of his Statemates.
Good vibes
Speaking ahead of the match, Fazal said, “Things are looking positive for us and the vibes are very good in the association. We got Umesh (Yadav) playing in England, (Rajneesh) Gurbani played for the A team and Sanjay (Ramaswamy) for Board President’s XI.
“We are really proud and looking forward to repeating the performance this season too.” The Vidarbha skipper added the challenge will be to repeat the feat this year considering the pressure and expectations. “We played good cricket last year, won both Ranji and Irani. They call it a fairytale, but we had worked hard for it. We were not lucky every time.
“We now have the pressure but we just have to repeat the same thing again and not get carried away with the high from last year.”
Fazal himself had a great run last year leading from the front and finishing as the second highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy with 912 runs. The opening batsman, who played a solitary one-day for India in Zimbabwe, however, missed out on a place in the A squad and is determined to move up the ranks.
Keen to repeat
“You do get disappointed when you are not picked. But nothing is in my hands. I just have to be really positive and repeat the same things again.”
For the last couple of years, Fazal has been using the off-season to go to England and play in club competitions which he says has helped him evolve as a cricketer as he prepares for yet another domestic season. “I love playing cricket. I never thought I will play for India. The aim was there always it was the high point of my career.
“But I enjoy cricket and that’s why I go to England. It is not First Class cricket but it is a challenge and you learn every day.”