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A strict disciplinarian by his own admission, Chandrakant Pandit is immensely proud that his Vidarbha wards were able to make a seamless transition from handling pressure to putting the opposition under the pump, during their second successive Ranji Trophy triumph.
Unarguably the best domestic coach in the country, Pandit guided an unheralded Vidarbha side to a second successive Ranji title with a mix of strategic acumen and old school discipline.
Many observed that Vidarbha's maiden title triumph last year against Delhi was a 'fluke' and Pandit did admit that against Saurashtra, the aim was to prove that 2017-18 was not a mere flash in the pan.
Neither Pandit not captain Faiz Fazal elaborated on the process they followed but it was easy to guess that probably the focus was on getting the team united and it was imperative for everyone to pull in one direction, without thinking about individual results.
Pandit said that he and his wards had a point to prove and answer the critics with a fitting performance.
Pandit said he was given a free hand by the VCA and they knew all along about his strict methods. He said he had to sometimes keep even players, who were performing well, outside the playing XI to develop a healthy competition in the side.
And the result is there for everyone to see as the side which even struggled to reach the knockout stages during earlier years, has now won back-to-back Ranji titles.
To put it in perspective, only five teams prior to Vidarbha have achieved the rare feat since the inception of the tournament back in 1934.
Captain Fazal also said that transformation of the side has taken time.
Asked if there was extra pressure of delivering in front of their home crowd, Fazal said, indeed it was a thought at the back of their minds. As Fazal was answering, Pandit chipped in and lauded his players.
"To maintain the reputation is important. Handing the pressure shows the character of a side. And the way the players have played, when there was lot of uncertainty (twists and turns) in this match (is laudable)," Pandit said.
"The way Aditya (Sarwate) and (Akshay) Karnewar shows that this team can now put pressure on the opponents and not just handle the pressure well. The character if this side came to the fore in this final."
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