So, what really went wrong for Vidarbha? Chandrakant Pandit and Sulakshan Kulkarni, considered the best coaches on the domestic circuit, said that ‘big stage anxiety’ led to Vidarbha’s listless performance in the final so far.Both have coached Vidarbha in the past.
“Legends of the game coming to watch the match. National selectors keeping an eye on your performance. A player knows that it’s not often that one gets such a big stage. Everyone says ‘treat the final as any other game’. But it’s easier said than done. At the back of the mind, players keep thinking about all this. I’m not saying they are scared of the situation. But these things are there at the back of the mind. This leads to anxiety and eventually numb nerves,” Pandit, coach of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, said.
“Still, full credit to Vidarbha team for reaching the final. They played good and confident cricket this season. Unfortunately, the batting didn’t click in the final. It can happen to any team,” said Pandit, who was at the helm during Vidarbha’s back-to-back Ranji Trophy triumphs.
Kulkarni’s assessment was in line with Pandit’s. “They looked overawed by the big stage. They focussed more on external forces rather than the match, I think,” said the coach who managed Vidarbha for two seasons starting from 2009-10.
The two said that playing against Mumbai in Mumbai is always a tough job, especially mentally. Having played for Mumbai for years, they know a thing or two about what the opposition goes through while facing the domestic giants at home.
Vidarbha’s decision to not bat first was a defensive one, feels Kulkarni. “On Day 1, it was a good pitch for batting. Yes, Mumbai were bowled out for 224 but the pitch didn’t play a part in it. The Mumbai top-order wasn’t in form this season. Despite getting a good start, they were 81 for no loss, the Mumbai batters threw it away. They gifted their wickets. The pitch was playing perfectly fine,” Kulkarni said.
The coach said that batting first would have given the Vidarbha bowlers, who had bowled MP out on Day 5 in the semifinal just a few days back, more time to rest.
For the entire season Vidarbha’s plan ‘A’ was to bat first and post a big total. The bowlers then wrapped up the rivals in the last innings. They batted first in the knockouts too. By choice in semifinal, and put in by Karnataka in quarterfinal.
“They made a great comeback after being bowled out for 170 in the first innings against MP in the semifinal. Even more reason they should have batted first here too. Going back a season, Vidarbha had defended 73 runs in a league match. Aditya Sarvate snapped up 6 wickets for 17 runs as Gujarat were bundled out for 54. So, bowling last suited Vidarbha,” Kulkarni said.
