It's a contest between a team aspiring for the tag of a cricketing heavyweight and a team that has been there and has done that, not once but seven times. The Ranji Trophy final of the 2017-18 season will not feature 41-time-champions Mumbai; instead it will be a face off between its 'cousin' Vidarbha and arch-rivals Delhi at Indore on Dec 29. For Vidarbha, always considered the “third” Maharashtra team after Mumbai and Maharashtra in domestic cricket, it is a watershed moment in its over five decades of existence.
The signs were there for all to see. Vidarbha was keen on shedding its also-ran-from-central-zone tag as it made it to the quarterfinals of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons—their best ever finish till date. Delhi, meanwhile, reached the Ranji final a decade ago and is hungry to get its hand on the silverware again.
Both teams have met only five times in the past, with Delhi calling the shots on four occasions. Both teams have remained unbeaten this season. Delhi won three matches and drew two while Vidarbha has won four matches and drawn one on their way to the finals.
Both teams are coached by shrewd men with the experience of winning Ranji Trophy titles. K.P. Bhaskar (Delhi) and Chandrakant Pandit (Vidarbha) have been part of Ranji Trophy-winning teams of Delhi and Mumbai respectively.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association's decision to bring in professional cricketers from outside, the work of the cricket development committee and focus on junior cricket have resulted in the team finally shedding its reputation of being laggards. This season, they brought in Mumbai's Pandit as coach and former India opener Wasim Jaffer, who was contracted to play last season but injury forced him to miss the entire season. Umesh Yadav turned up for the team whenever he could, while on a break from India duty.
But Vidarbha runs into a determined Delhi side. This is a side notorious for the shenanigans of its administrators in the past. But, regardless of it, talent from the capital city kept coming through in abundance. It is a team that has been ridden with controversy both on and off the field. Off the field for its maladministration, and on it for the tiffs between captains, coaches and selectors.
But things have changed quite a lot in Delhi this season, shocking as that may sound. Two things happened last season—the Delhi High Court appointed a retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Vikramjit Sen, to administer cricket at the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). Delhi, then captained by Gautam Gambhir, failed to make it to the knockout stage last year and its season ended—not unpredictably—on a controversial note, with Gambhir and coach Bhaskar involved in a bitter fracas. An enquiry found Gambhir guilty and he was slapped with a suspended four-match ban.
The Cricket Advisory Committee was set up with former India player Madan Lal at its helm. Players and selectors both were told by the CAC that they had its full backing, selections were done transparently and players would not be arbitrarily dropped from the squad. Gambhir was replaced with young Rishabh Pant as captain.
The results have come and how for the former Ranji champions. In the league and knockout phase, Delhi was bolstered by the presence of India pacer Ishant Sharma—younger pacers like Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya and Vikas Mishra, too, benefited from the presence of the senior pro. Almost all batsman have contributed at crucial times—youngsters like Kunal Chandela, Dhruv Shorey, Manan Sharma and Himmat Singh have put up their hands up at crucial moments to deliver with bat or ball. Gambhir, especially, has come up with sterling performances when it mattered the most in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Delhi would hope its two exciting batsmen, Nitish Rana and skipper Rishabh Pant, too, can contribute meaningfully along with the rest.
Meanwhile, Vidarbha would want its top three batsmen—Jaffer, skipper Faiz Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy—to fire big time to take the wind out of the Delhi bowlers. Fazal and Ramaswamy have been the most prolific opening combination in Ranji Trophy this season.
The wicket in Indore is likely to aid batting, with the new ball moving a bit in the morning. This would be good news for seamers on both sides—Saini and Khejroliya, and 24-year-old seamer Rajneesh Gurbani of Vidarbha.
