Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit had a long discussion with his players on Monday morning before they walked onto the field. With Andhra still needing 75 runs to reach its maiden Ranji Trophy semifinal, Pandit advised his boys not to lose hope and keep believing in themselves.
With Hanuma Vihari at the crease and six wickets remaining, not many imagined that Madhya Pradesh would turn the tide. But banking on Pandit’s advice, the home team not only displayed a spirited show, but also defeated Andhra by four runs.
As the players fought it out in the middle, Pandit, too, ensured that he passed on the necessary message throughout the game and as the situation toughened up, reserve Mihir Hirwani could be seen entering the field after almost every over with a towel, a couple of water bottles and some ‘very important messages from Chandu sir’.
“There were various messages that were sent out to the boys as per the situations, and it was my way of helping the captain get some relief in the middle of a high-pressure game,” Pandit told Sportstar with a smile.
“Depending on the circumstances, the field placing had to be changed, and I was just trying to give my feedback on all those things…”
And those ‘little messages’ from Pandit did allow the Madhya Pradesh players to regroup.
“I had to give them that confidence and instil self-belief in them, and over the last couple of seasons, we have been able to defend small totals, so today, we discussed the same thing, and I told them that it’s just one session and a matter of about 25 overs, and that’s what happened,” Pandit said.
While Anubhav Agarwal dominated the show, claiming six wickets, Andhra tried to bounce back with a 32-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Ashwin Hebbar and Girinath Reddy. But then, Anubhav came to the rescue again and brought Madhya Pradesh back into the game.
“We were encouraged by sir (Pandit), and his words encouraged us to do well,” Anubhav said. “When we got two wickets, of Karan Shinde and Hanuma Vihari, in quick succession, we knew we could win it from here…”
As another semifinal beckons, the team’s collective target is to win the Ranji Trophy title. “We don’t have any individual target. We just want to win the trophy, and we will do everything to fulfil the target,” he said.
Madhya Pradesh will face the winner of the ongoing fixture between Vidarbha and Karnataka in the semifinals.
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