Vidarbha have plans for Mumbai's international stars in Ranji final, says captain Wadkar

Mumbai will enter the Ranji Trophy final, beginning here on Sunday, with a clutch of Indian stars in their ranks, but unfazed Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar said his side has plans in place to tame them. Obviously, we have strategies for Mumbais international players, particularly Prithvi, Shreyas, Shardul and Ajinkya.

Mumbai will enter the Ranji Trophy final, beginning here on Sunday, with a clutch of Indian stars in their ranks, but unfazed Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar said his side has plans in place to tame them. Mumbai batting is bolstered by the presence of Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and Prithvi Shaw. In fact, it was Thakur's giant effort that helped Mumbai seal a berth in the title clash with a win over Tamil Nadu in the semifinals. ''You can never tell which player can click since it is a final. Obviously, we have strategies for (Mumbai's) international players, particularly Prithvi, Shreyas, Shardul and Ajinkya. But we have one or two plans ready for each of their players,” Wadkar told the media here on the eve of the final.

“It is a final match, and all players are threatening that way. You cannot leave out any player and go into the game thinking that you’d be fine even if you do not have strategy against a specific player,” added Wadkar. Wadkar said winning the Ranji Trophy in two consecutive seasons (2017-18, 2018-19) has given a lot of confidence to the young players.

''When you lift the Ranji Trophy twice, self-confidence develops in all the players. We now have the belief that we can do well and win any tournament from any stage and in any situation. “It’s a special game for us. Any final is special, particularly the Ranji (Trophy) final and more so against the 41-time champions. We look at this as a good opportunity to beat a big side,” Wadkar said. Vidarbha had beaten Madhya Pradesh in the semifinals by 62 runs after conceding a lead of 82 runs, and Wadkar said it has underlined the character of the side. “We’ve done well in the quarters, we came back from behind in the semifinal. The confidence is high. When the team fights back, the confidence level becomes double,” the wicketkeeper batter said.