Vid looking for a winning start

Nagpur: Since the start of the 2020s, Vidarbha have been chasing the glory days of the past in Ranji Trophy. After back-to-back triumphs from 2017-18, Vidarbha’s fortunes have witnessed a downward curve, with the team failing to qualify for the knockouts in the last season.With two new professionals in the fold and a new coach at the helm, Vidarbha will look to turn over a new leaf this season. First up, they face Services in the Elite Group ‘A’ match at VCA’s Civil Lines Stadium starting Friday.

A not-so-fancied rival, and playing in their own den, things are lined up perfectly for Vidarbha to start the campaign on a winning note. The presence of Karun Nair and Dhruv Shorey gives the Vidarbha batting line-up a solid look. With Atharva Taide out due to an injury, R Sanjay is likely to get a game. The opener, who has been off colour in the last few seasons, would look to make the most of the opportunity.After making headlines in the recent IPL auctions, Shubham Dubey is tipped to make his First Class debut on Friday. Apart from adding batting depth, the left-hander could provide a late flourish if need be. With skipper Akshay Wadkar donning the dual role of batter-wicketkeeper, the Vidarbha team management is likely to go with the conventional six batsmen and five bowlers.Akshay Wakhare and Aditya Sarvate have engineered many collapses at the Civil Lines Stadium in the past. The spin duo would look to get into the act early in season opener against Services. Sarvate, the vice-captain, also adds depth to the batting unit. Sources said that young left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey is likely to be released for Under-23 duties.The fast bowling department would be led by the ever-dependable Umesh Yadav. The team management is likely to go with three seamers against Services. It leaves four bowlers — Darshan Nalkande, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakare and Lalit Yadav — fighting for two places.Teams (from) Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (captain & wicketkeeper), Aditya Sarvate (vice-captain), Faiz Faizal, Dhruv Shorey, Karun Nair, Sanjay Ramaswamy, Shubham Dubey, Mohit Kale, Yash Rathod, Siddhesh Wath (wk), Umesh Yadav, Akshay Wakhare, Darshan Nalkande, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur, Lalit Yadav and Aditya Thakare.Services: Rajat Paliwal, Varun Choudhary, Vineet Dhankhar, Anshul Gupta, Vikas Hathwala, Lovekesh Bansal, Nakul Sharma, Pulkit Narang, Nitin Yadav, Poonam Poonia, Raj Bahadur, Ravi Chauhan, Shubham Rohilla, Arjun Sharma and Nitin Tanwar.