Vidarbha to begin preparation soon

NAGPUR: The last few days had been hectic for Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA). They had to sweat hard to get Chandrakant Pandit on the board for another year. Pandit had decided to take break to spend more time with his family.
However, the offers kept pouring in for the ex-India wicketkeeper. In the end, he chose to continue with Vidarbha, much to the delight of the association.The VCA wanted continuity. They had seen Mumbai struggle after Pandit and Mumbai Cricket Association parted ways in 2017. VCA officials didn’t want that to happen with Vidarbha team, which is going through the purple patch.
“We were very clear what we wanted. We didn’t even discuss the options. We were confident that he would continue to guide our team. Pandit has been given full freedom here. Nobody questioned him regarding anything because we knew whatever he will do would benefit the team. Now, that everything is done and dusted, the preparation for the next season will begin soon. He is ready with his plan. Now, our boys and the support staff also know how to go about the preparations under him,” a VCA source told TOI.
Last year, around this time, Vidarbha had started preparations for the next season with skills camp. The boys would be going through individual analysis and skills development again. “The skills camp made a lot of difference. Our boys got to know about areas they need to improve. It’s a constant process. Pandit believes in practice with purpose and preparing well. This year, it won’t be too different,” the source said.
While seniors like Faiz Fazal, Wasim Jaffer and Ganesh Satish would be busy with their matches before the season, others will go through skills and fitness improvement. The boys were given a break after the Twenty20 Super League to recharge their batteries. Most of the cricketers took rest, while others had tours to North East.
Pandit would come to the city soon and make a detailed plan for the next season. The senior and Under-23 teams will work together under the guidance of Pandit. “Trevor will look after Under-23. However, it’s important to have coordination between the senior and Under-23. Under-23 is the feeder for our senior side. Last year, we had great coordination between the two sides. We planned to the perfection according to schedules of Ranji Trophy and Col CK Nayudu Trophy. The result is there for everyone to see,” he added.
Usman Ghani will supervise the Under-19 camp, while Ranjit Paradkar will take care of Under-16 boys. “Currently Inter-Camp tournaments are going on. We will also look at the top performers of those tournaments. Besides, we would also look at the district camps and their matches. We want to make sure that best team should play in BCCI tournaments,” said the source.