Playing a captain’s knock for Vidarbha in the finals of the Ranji Trophy against Mumbai, Akshay Wadkar etched his name in the history of Indian cricket with a brilliant innings. Faced with the daunting task of chasing 538, his team was in trouble at 133-4 when Wadkar decided to lead from the front. His gritty knock of 102 from 199 balls was what kept his side in the hunt and made everyone stand up and take notice of the tough fight back. This was Wadkar’s maiden century in Ranji Trophy 2024.
Wadkar’s century came under pressure in the Ranji final and as he reached the milestone, there was huge applause from the crowd at Wankhede Stadium as they acknowledged the batsman who single-handedly took the battle to the opposition with his courage. His innings meant hope of an unlikely victory still existed and with a big hundred there for the taking, Wadkar dug in and showed resilience that marked his captain’s effort and the one of the true spirit of the game.
However, fate had other ideas as Wadkar departed as he was adjudged LBW to spin of Tanush Kotian and as he walked back to the pavillion, Wankhede gave him a loud round of applause for a nearly-run thing. His wicket marked the end of a frustrating partnership and an outstanding innings which will be remembered by all who witnessed it. At the time of publication, Vidarbha was 170/9, chasing a target of 540, giving Mumbai every opportunity to win the title of Ranji Trophy.
Utlimate the destiny of the match will not matter much as Wadkar innings today was nothing short of captaincy and resilient of the cricketing spirit at its best under pressure.
