There is nothing like winning: Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit

The first Ranji Trophy title last season can be termed as fluke, but surely not the second one...

It's totally different. Once you start the first season, the team was gearing up for a mission. Nobody was expecting that Vidarbha is going to win. This time there were different challenges –– first the pressure to retain the trophy, then we were playing in a better pool, out of 18 teams only five teams could qualify for the knockouts. The challenges were bigger. Winning two out of two, the feeling is something different. It gives a lot of pleasure and happiness. All credit goes to the boys who took on the challenges, handled and sorted it out in the middle. They were the ones who were playing, batting, bowling, the winning aspect came from them. Credit to them, they have done it. It shows their character.

It's always a pleasure, being the coach and the guiding force for them. Of course, Faiz (Fazal) led well, handled things nicely, executed the plans well. Wasim (Jaffer) has been outstanding through the last season. His presence (in dressing room) and the batting ability has made a lot of difference as a player and a senior guy. He has been a great help for me since the last season. He had played under me for Mumbai and is aware of my style and method. That helped me pass it on to the other players.

Umesh Yadav, too, has been a great inspiration for the team. The confidence in the team was boosted when he came after international cricket, and the way he bowled. Every player has contributed, right from the start till the finals.

There were a lot of ups and downs in the final right from the start till the fifth day. Did you expect it to be this way?

Uncertainty has always been there in cricket. You can tell, the game awareness, situation awareness gives you a lot of experiences and that I was trying to explain to them as to how the game is being played. Wasim was contributing in that. So, we had to make them aware that how we can play this game. We never expected this game would be full of uncertainties. We pulled up our socks on the day we were 200/7 and we knew that the game will be wide open till the last day and we needed to fight back. The players were very much aware because fortunately we played a few tight games last season. Through that, they got the experience and knew how to make a comeback.

(Vidarbha players and coach Chandrakant Pandit (C) poses with the Ranji Trophy —PTI)

A lot of credit is being given to you for plotting Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal. What was the strategy and how did you go about it?

Basically, we have seen him bat in domestic cricket. We have seen him even in Australia series too. So, we thought the way he has been handling spinners, we could set a kind of field and bowl a certain line. Fortunately, Aditya Sarwate executed that plan very well. All credit to Sarwate for the skills that he has shown and for implementing it nicely. A plan can be made on paper, but it has to be implemented.

Was there any kind fear in the mind of your players about the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara?

No, that was a good thing. When they were talking about focussing on him, I thought it was not important to focus on one particular player alone. Of course, one international player makes a lot of difference. However, it's not a one-player game. One needs to focus on everybody. If the important player is doing well, naturally you need to get him out. If you are going to be only after him, you will probably lose the focus.

Wasim Jaffer has been a vital cog in Vidarbha line-up. How do you keep him motivated even as his career heads into a sunset?

Nobody has to motivate him. He has motivated himself every time. He loves to bat, he never likes to throw his wicket away. He loves to bat as many as times as you give him an opportunity, whether it is in the nets or anywhere. He has got this self-motivation rather than anything else which keeps him going. And that is why he is continuing for so many years while also maintaining fitness.

Jaffer was in fine form this season. How many more years of cricket is left in him and for how long would Vidarbha want him to continue?

Considering the fitness level he is maintaining, he knows his body and I am sure he is the right person to take a call. Whether it's next year or another two-three years. Age is one criteria, but another thing is fitness level. How you maintain it is more important. I am sure he is very much aware about that and he must have planned certain years to play.

There were no big names in Vidarbha, barring Jaffer and captain Fazal. What did you do to make your players believe that you guys can do it?

Mindset. Earlier, the mindset was just to play cricket. If you win, you are happy. If you don't win, then fair enough. If you qualify (for knockouts), that was considered a success. This thought process had to change. Me and Wasim spoke about it, that we would always imbibe the thought that there is nothing like winning. It's not that you should get satisfied with small performances, like qualifying for the knockouts. It's better to win the trophy, the tournament. That should be your aim. The mindset had to change. They were three kind of players. There were players who were happy to be in the team, then some were happy with small performances, and then there were players who wanted to play higher level of cricket. We had to sort it out, had to change the thought and get them into a healthy competitive atmosphere. Of course, the selection committee has given us a lot of support.

Spinners Aditya Sarwate and Akshay Wakhare have shouldered the responsibility well...

Both of them have been top spinners in the state. They have been doing well. The responsibility is a little bit more on them. Without taking any pressure, they had to play that role.

Rajnesh Gurbani did not have a great season (6 wickets in 6 games) after last year's fine run. How do you motivate a player like him to overcome setback?

Unfortunately, he was busy with the New Zealand tour (for India 'A'). He joined us half way in the tournament. By the time he got into his rhythm, it was late. Wickets were not suitable in certain matches he played, he went through the hand injury, then missed out on one game. Naturally, things were going against him. He has not lost the confidence, though.

Mumbai

• 1996-97: Won
• 1999-00: Won
• 2002-03: Won
• 2003-04: Won
• 2006-07: Won
• 2008-09: Won
• 2009-10: Won
• 2012-13: Won

Vidarbha

• 2017-18: Won
• 2018-19: Won

N Zone 

• 11 Faiz Fazal is the 11th captain to win two straight Ranji titles. Maharashtra’s DB Deodhar was the first to do so in 1940 and 1941, while Bombay’s Bapu Nadkarni is the only captain to have lifted the Ranji Trophy 3 times in a row (1964, 1965, 1966)
• 6 Aditya Sarwate is the 6th bowler to take five wickets in each innings of the Ranji final, the others being JB Khot (1941/42), CS Nayudu (1942/43, 1944/45, 1945/46), PK Shivalkar (1972/73), AM Ismail (1975/76) and BS Chandrasekhar (1977/78)