Saurashtra was scared of playing Mumbai 10 years back, now it’s the opposite: Neeraj Odedra
There was a time when his team was scared of playing Mumbai and now they and other teams are scared of us, Saurashtra head coach Neeraj Odedra has said on his team’s stupendous performance in the last decade. Saurashtra on Sunday won their second Ranji title in three seasons. Saurashtra won their maiden Ranji Trophy title by defeating Bengal in March 2020, days before the nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, and the Jaydev Unadkat-led side defeated the same opposition last week to establish their dominance in red-ball cricket .
Neeraj himself said that his team has emerged ‘stronger in the white-ball format’ in the current season after winning their first 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy title since 2007-08. The team’s experienced players like Unadkat, Arpit Vasavada, Sheldon Jackson, Chirag Jani and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja have been consistent performers. This is a team which has players batting till 11th position and there are a lot of ‘all-rounders’ in the team. Saurashtra were playing their fifth Ranji final in 10 years last week but despite back-to-back final appearances, they lacked the confidence associated with a champion side in the first half of the last decade.
Neeraj said, “Two Ranji titles in three years as well as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it says a lot about how the team has come. We were a force to be reckoned with in red-ball cricket but now you can call Saurashtra one of the best teams across formats. “We were scared of playing Mumbai 10 years back. Now they and other teams are scared of us. They are like why we are playing Saurashtra. This is a big change and says a lot.
Saurashtra had lost their first two Ranji finals against the formidable Mumbai side and in 2018-19 also the team could not win the title against Vidarbha. So what has changed in the team now? Neeraj said, “It is the confidence in the players, whether they are seniors or youngsters, they are all playing for the team. In the last two years, we have also tried to make everyone an all-rounder. And be good at catching too.
The coach said, “Look at Harvik Desai (wicketkeeper-opener). He never kept wicket in 2020 but took 25 catches in the slips. I would call him a batting all-rounder.” He said, “When we were in trouble, our bowlers were scoring runs, I can call him a bowling all-rounder.” When the main batsmen did not do well, Chirag, Dharmendra Singh, Prerak Players like Mankad and Parth Bhut contributed. Saurashtra’s team has been consistent in performance while consistency in selection has also played a big part in the team’s success.
Keeping the future in mind, for the first time in four seasons, the team gave debuts to three players – Jai Gohil (double century on debut), Yuvraj Singh Dodiya (30 wickets) and Devang Karamta, who played against Maharashtra. “There is a lot of belief among the players and that brings stability. The players feel secure, they know they will be part of the playing XI and the core players remain the same. With faith comes stability.
Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Unadkat may not have played all the matches in the winning campaign but even their limited presence helps the team in a big way. Unadkat requested the Indian team management to release him for the Ranji final. Neeraj said, “Whenever Pujara, Unadkat and Jadeja are with the team, they carry forward what they see in the Indian team environment. This helps the team.
