Ranji Trophy final: Vidarbha’s Akshay Wadkar revels under pressure as Delhi wilt

Akshay Wadkar, Vidarbha’s No 7, made former champions Delhi pay for their sloppy show on the field to take command in the Ranji Trophy final with two days left.

Vidarbha wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar said playing under pressure brings the best out of him after stroking an unbeaten 133 on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final against Delhi at the Holkar Stadium.

Vidarbha's batsman Akshay Wadkar celebrates his century during the 3rd day of the Ranji Trophy final against Delhi in Indore on Sunday. (PTI)

Wadkar’s century batting at No 7, and his two century partnerships with Aditya Sarwate (79) and Siddhesh Neral (56 batting), gave Vidarbha a 233-run lead heading into the fourth day.

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At stumps, the first-time finalists were a commanding 528/7 in reply to Delhi’s 295.

“I wasn’t in the team for the first three Ranji matches. I performed well in local matches, scored a couple of fifties and a hundred and forced my way back into the side,” Wadkar told reporters after stumps.

“I relish playing under pressure. Even sir (Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit) backs me to do so.”

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The 23-year-old Wadkar, playing only his fifth first-class game, carried the innings after Wasim Jaffer fell leg before to Navdeep Saini for 78, reducing Vidharbha to 246/6, still 50 runs from taking the first innings lead.

Wadkar hit 16 fours and a six in his unbeaten 243-ball knock.

“There was a bit of pressure (after Jaffer’s dismissal). We were still behind (Delhi’s total). But I understood we needed a big partnership. Had we lost one more wicket, we couldn’t have got this much lead.”

Akshay Wadkar lauded Aditya Sarwate saying he shares a good relationship with his teammate and that helps them communicate better on the field.

The duo put on a 169-run stand, Vidarbha’s highest for the seventh wicket this season.

“I like to bat with Aditya. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses well. So, if I feel anything is going wrong, we have a chat.”

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Asked what would be the team’s strategy for Monday, he said: “We haven’t decided anything as of now. We’ll take a call in the morning. The wicket is still good for batting.”

Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini, who took two of the three wickets to fall on the third day, blamed dropped chances.

Gautam Gambhir missed an easy catch off Sarwate at first slip and Delhi captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant missed a stumping chance to reprieve the same batsman. On the other hand, Wadkar was also dropped twice, summing up Delhi’s forgettable day.

“It’s frustrating. The bowler is putting in a lot of effort. But then you realise you have to play this game for a long time. So it’s part and parcel of the game,” Saini told Hindustan Times.

But the bowler sounded confident of the team’s chances, saying the match was far from over. “The aim is to take those three wickets as soon as possible. We are confident of putting up a fight.

“We’ll stick to our basics and see what happens.”