Victorious Vidarbha U-19 boys should be groomed for Ranji Trophy, say former captains

NAGPUR: Former Vidarbha captains, terming the junior team's victory in the final of the

Cooch Behar Trophy

as a red letter day in the history of the cricket in the region, were of the view that the top performers of the Under-19 team should directly be included into the senior side and at least four to five of them be in the Ranji side next season.

"It was a tremendous performance by the Vidarbha colts. I am impressed with their consistent performance and attitude. They looked champion side from the beginning itself. I watched the final from the stands and I must say boys have really done us proud. Players like Atharva Taide, Yash Thakur,

Yash Rathod

, wicketkeeper-batsman Aakash Kumar and Darshan Nalkande have a lot of talent and should play for Ranji side for many years. They have to be groomed properly if the authorities are serious about the future of the game in the region. I don't say they should be in the playing eleven but at least they must be in the squad. It will build their confidence," legendary Vidarbha batsman Suhas Phadkar said.

Phadkar, the former middle-order batsman, also acknowledged the performance of players from the districts. "It is heartening to see the fabulous performance by the district players who are matching the talents of Nagpur players and some of them are even better than local players. As far as professionals are concerned, the VCA should keep at least one or two senior players in the Ranji side like Wasim Jaffer, who played a key role for the team's cause.

Former all-rounder

Manish Dosi

advised the victorious side to keep working hard to remain at the top. "We dominated the tournament and have not lost a single match. It was a remarkable feat by the boys. Yes, I think this current lot has a lot of players who can play for the Ranji team provided they continue to work hard. Becoming the best is not important but remaining at the top needs a lot of character," Dosi said.

He believed Vidarbha should keep professional players to guide the youngsters in the region. "As far as professionals are concerned, we need them so that we could have an excellent blend of exuberance and experience in the team," Dosi said.

Parimal Hedaoo, the stylish left-handed former batsman, feels many players from this present team will serve the senior side. "This bunch of players played their best cricket. Their success shall also be attributed to the coach. Most of the players would certainly play for Vidarbha for long time," Hedaoo, who led Vidarbha U-19 side in 1992-93 season which reached the knock-outs for the first time, said.

Despite the twin triumphs,

Hemant Wasu

thinks Vidarbha must not drop the idea of having professionals in the Ranji side. "Now, Vidarbha will have excellent bench strength. Most of the players will don prestigious Vidarbha Ranji cap in coming years. But I still feel they have a long way to go. We need few outstanding and experienced professionals at least for few years in the Ranji side to play a mentor's role," Wasu said.