Most satisfying spell, I kept attacking - Rajneesh Gurbani

"I think this was the best match of my career so far," Gurbani said. © BCCL

When Vidarbha stepped onto the field on Day 5 of the Semi-final of Ranji Trophy 2017/18, they were on the cusp of creating history. They needed three wickets to dismantle Karnataka and progress to the summit clash of India's premier domestic competition. But the overnight pair of Vinay Kumar and Shreyas Gopal were determined to not give up without putting up a fight. The duo added 30 runs and were motoring along, creating panic in the Vidarbha camp.

Rajneesh Gurbani, who had snared four scalps on Day 4, turned the tide back in Vidarbha's favour - prising out the Karnataka's skipper. The next batsman, Abhimanyu Mithun too counter-attacked, smashing boundaries at will and exerted pressure on Vidarbha bowlers. Karnataka crawled to 187 and were just 10 runs away from the target with still 2 wickets in hand. That's when the Nagpur lad devoured the dangerous Mithun and orchestrated another comeback. In his next over, he consumed Arvind and wiped away Karnataka's hopes, finishing with a seven-fer and scripting history for his team.

"This was the most satisfying spell because I never went on the back foot, I always kept attacking," said the youngster after the game.

"After Vinay Kumar's wicket, the wickets still didn't fall. So when they came very close, around 14 runs, I thought let's leave it to the batsmen now. I tried to just bowl line and length. As expected, Mithun tried something, we got a wicket and came back into the game. Then we again we attacked when Aravind came to bat. I think this was the best match of my career so far," he added.

He also credited his coach Chandrakant Pandit for his success. "When I went to the ground, coach sir motivated me and calmed my nerves somewhat. On the field, when wickets were not coming, I was feeling a bit restless and then my captain, senior teammates and Chandu sir told me to calm down. I got quite emotional after getting the final wicket and saw Chandu sir's (Pandit's nickname) reaction, tears came into my eyes."

"I was quite nervous all throughout the night, first woke up at 12:30 thought it was 6 am, again I woke up at 4:30 couldn't sleep any more, got up at 5 am and got ready within 6. We were determined to reach the finals this year after having lost in the quarter-finals twice," Gurbani added.

Vidarbha's skipper Faiz Fazal, who has been in tremendous form this season piling up 843 runs, recollected the tense final moments. "When the ball left (Aravind's) the bat, it took me back to the shot Mahi [MS Dhoni] played in the 2011 World Cup and the silence that ensued until it crossed the boundary"

Fazal, who took over captaincy from Subramanium Badrinath in 2016/17 is second in the list among the leading run-scorers this season behind Mayank Agarwal. Fazal and his opening partner Sanjay Ramaswamy have been prolific at the top for Vidarbha - the duo have been involved in 12 century partnerships.

"We're absolute opposites, to be honest. Like they say, opposites attract, and that's going on in the middle. I'm enjoying his company and he is enjoying mine. Our minds have changed and our thinking has become very clear this season." said Fazal about his successful partnership with Sanjay.

The unsung hero for Vidarbha has to be their coach Chandrakant Pandit, who's maiden stint has reaped rewards, navigating Vidarbha to the final.

"I belong to a culture and a state that has a different mindset, which I wanted to inculcate in this team. And they have accepted it well. More than anything, I think I always strived to lift the team and made sure that we enjoyed each other's performances and stayed together for every activity the team does," Pandit said.

Talking about the game, he said, "It was a 50-50 game. In such a game, whoever shows desperation is going to lose and whoever shows patience is going to win. Making each individual understand his role is very important in such a situation. The kind of spirit they showed was tremendous. Making history at this ground, of course, will always be remembered."

Pandit was all praise for the young Gurbani. "Gurbani has been bowling well throughout the season," he said. "Whenever he got the opportunity, whenever he came to bowl, he bowls as per the demands of the team. So I give a lot of credit to his spell because today even 14 runs to go, 12 runs or six runs to go, he was still there. He backed his strength. So I give him credit for this spell even more."

Chandrakant Pandit coached Mumbai in 2002-03 and 2003-04, leading them to consecutive Ranji Trophy titles. He had a successful second stint in 2015-16 with Mumbai again when they lifted the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time before moving to Vidarbha in 2017/18.