Small Contributions, Big Impact - Karnewar & Gurbani Typify Vidarbha Spirit

Vidarbha’s second consecutive Ranji Trophy crown was built around a team culture that encouraged each member of the unit to make contributions for the larger cause. All-Rounder Akshay Karnewar and fast bowler Rajneesh Gurbani typified that spirit as they triumphed against Saurashtra in a tightly contested final at Nagpur.

Karnewar's inclusion in the playing XI, for instance, depended on whether the track had enough turn on offer or not. The 26-year-old featured in just four games but made every opportunity count and contributed in all four of those encounters, including in the final.

Vidarbha's top-order had a rare failure and were six wickets down for just 139 runs when Karnewar walked out to bat. The allrounder first added 57 runs with wicketkeeper-batsman Akshay Wadkar and then shared a match-defining 78-run stand with Akshay Wakhare for the eighth wicket.

Karnewar, who comes from the Pandharkawda village of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra, batted till the end and remained unbeaten on 73, his second highest first-class score. Known for his ambidextrous skills, Karnewar said the team was under tremendous pressure after the top-order failed for the first time and he had to give up on his natural aggressive game-style to build his innings.

Vidarbha all-rounder Akshay Karnewar plays a shot (PTI)

"Pressure toh ayega hi na. They (top-order) contributed in almost every game except in the final. We lost quite a few wickets early. While it was important for me to make sure we don't lose any more wickets, it was also important to keep the scoreboard ticking. It was a tough task for me," Karnewar told CricketNext.

"The team management wanted me to bat as long as possible. The idea was to get as many runs as possible. I took my innings forward ball by ball. Yes, I went for a few shots but the idea was to make sure that I don't take any unnecessary risks.

"I am really happy to contribute in such a big match. My innings was really important and it came at a crucial stage."

It was because of Karnewar and Wakhare's partnership Vidarbha managed to cross the 300-run mark in their first innings. They could only manage 200 in their second essay but that was enough for Aditya Sarwate who scalped 11 wickets in the match to destroy Saurashtra's batting lineup.

"We were looking to build small partnerships. We knew that they would go for wickets, so we kept talking that it will also allow us to score some runs. Our first target was to push our total past 250. Slowly and steadily, our partnership kept growing," said Karnewar.

One of the architects of the victory last year, Gurbani, did not have much of a role this time around as he spent a lot of the time away on tour with India A. He could only manage six wickets in six outings this year which were more or less scattered owing to his India A commitments. Despite not having the same kind of success as last season Gurbani revealed how under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid in the A setup he learnt a very important feature - that of staying patient.

"The one thing that I have really learned under the likes of Rahul Dravid is to be patient. It is such a cliched word in cricket, but it is very important," Gurbani told CricketNext.

"So, for example, if I am able to pick up a wicket in Ranji Trophy every 20 balls, it is highly possible that I might take 40 balls to pick up a wicket when I am playing for India A because the level of competition is that much high. So, I will have to remain patient else it could go wrong very fast. That is one thing which I have learnt in the past few months."

Karnewar, on the other hand, put his best foot forward at key points in the campaign. He played his first game of the season against Railways and crafted a 136-ball 94 from No. 7 when Vidarbha were in a tricky situation. He followed it up with a five-wicket haul against Gujarat, and then took four wickets against Mumbai as Vidarbha cemented their place at the top of Elite Group A and B table. He was left out of the quarterfinal and semifinal games before being brought back for the big final.

Three of his four games came in Nagpur where the track is known to be helpful for the spinners. Karnewar said that the team management was pretty clear about what they wanted from him and he was happy to contribute in whatever way possible.

"We were in dicey situations both the times and that's when I scored fifties. I was able to do well both the times and I am happy that I was able to contribute when the team needed me to," he said.

"I am an all-rounder and they wanted me to play on tracks that were offering turn. We had two frontline spinners (Sarwate and Wakhare) in the XI and whenever we were offered a turning track, I got a chance to play. Being an allrounder the idea was also to prolong the batting lineup."

Karnewar has only played 11 first-class games across three seasons and wants to cement his place in the playing XI from the next season.

"I want to fix my place in the playing XI. A track shouldn't define my inclusion or exclusion. I want to contribute with both bat and ball for my team."

Gurbani also emphasised how having played a final earlier helped the team and they ensured there was no additional pressure on any of the players.

Rajneesh Gurbani (Twitter)

"We had tasted blood last time around with a victory and we were not going to let it go when we stepped onto the park this season," he said. "The enjoyment, the happiness on everyone's faces, seeing the crowd happy when we were crowned champions last year...it became an addiction and we were adamant to take a feel of it again.

"We weren't playing the finals in Nagpur last year, but when we came back to the city, the kind of adulation we got, that was a huge motivating factor for us.

"The basic difference between last time and this was experience. Last time around I remember, we were nervous as we were going to play our first final. But this time around we were pretty relaxed, we were more excited and rather than putting ourselves under pressure, we just went out to enjoy ourselves."

Vidarbha might have won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles but Gurbani insists the side was not ready to rest on their laurels and had already shifted their focus to their next goal - to defend their Irani Trophy title.

"We have won the Ranji Trophy, but we are not celebrating, we are now just focusing on Irani Trophy,” he said. “That is our next mission. We don't want to get complacent, we now want to go out and win the Irani Trophy. Only once we win that, will we maybe celebrate, but as of now we are just concentrating on the next goal.”

(With Inputs from Hardik Worah)