Vidarbha: Humble, hungry and making presence felt in Ranji

Focused players and a development plan has helped Vidarbha win their third Ranji Trophy title in 7 years

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

MUMBAI: Keeping feet on the ground can also be a team's main strength in helping them become champions. Ask Ranji Trophy winners Vidarbha.

"We don't have big names, we are a very humble team. We are a very simple team in our thought process, not very flamboyant; players who want to win the domestic tournaments. I have seen a lot of players in the country now who just want to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and they are happy with that," said Faiz Fazal, a stalwart of Vidarbha cricket who led the side for many seasons before retirement last season.

This desire to be taken seriously in domestic cricket has helped Vidarbha become a force.

Since their first Ranji title in 2017-18 under Faiz, it's been a stunning transformation for Vidarbha. On Sunday, they beat Kerala to win their third title from four finals in seven years.

The most impressive aspect has been how solid Vidarbha looked. There were no scrappy wins; the showing was solid all the way to the title.

Opening batter Faiz has been part of Vidarbha's turnaround. He was part of the team last season when they lost the final to Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. For the former skipper, the change in the players' attitude was evident in the final.