Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy-winning left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey chuffed after going past legendary India spinner BS Bedi’s mark of 64 scalps to be the highest wicket-taker in a national championship season
Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey (right) celebrates breaking the Ranji Trophy record for most wickets in a season during the final v Kerala. Pic/PTI
Pune-born Harsh Dubey, 22, who shifted base from Mumbai to Nagpur when he was just four years old, played a major role in Vidarbha’s third Ranji Trophy triumph when they beat Kerala in the final at Nagpur on Sunday.
Left-arm spinner Dubey not only broke the record for the most Ranji scalps in one season, claiming 69, but also helped the team score 476 runs. In the process, he surpassed legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi’s Ranji record of 64 wickets too.
“It’s a big achievement and a proud moment for my whole family that first I broke Bishan sir’s 50-year-old record of 64 Ranji wickets [for Delhi in 1974-75] and then became the highest wicket-taker, overcoming [Bihar’s] Ashutosh Aman’s 68-wicket feat,” Dubey told mid-day from Nagpur on Monday.
While recalling his early childhood in the Antop Hill area of Mumbai, Dubey revealed how he used to play tennis-ball cricket and had a glimpse of Test cricketer Sanjay Bangar. “My dad [Surendra] was in CISF [Central Industrial Security Force]. Till I was in 4th standard, we stayed in the Antop Hill area in Mumbai. I played tennis-ball cricket with my colony friends there. I saw him [Bangar] many times as he stayed near our residence. We shifted to Nagpur around 2010 or 2011 when my dad got transferred,” Dubey recalled.
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Maiden Ranji win for Dubey
Vidarbha’s maiden Ranji title-winning performance under skipper Faiz Fazal and head coach Chandrakant Pandit in 2017-18 played a major role in the then U-16 cricketer Dubey’s journey to the current achievement.
“To contribute to the team in winning the Ranji Trophy is a big achievement for me. When Vidarbha won Ranji for the first time [final v Delhi], I represented the Vidarbha U-16 team that season. I still remember I was watching that Ranji final live on television at my home and I was thinking that whenever I get the
opportunity to play in the Ranji Trophy, I have to perform. So, that final is like a motivating factor for me,” remarked Dubey.
Seniors like Test cricketer Karun Nair (863 runs) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (722 runs) played a vital role in Vidarbha’s accomplishment. And Dubey reckoned the contribution of youngsters in the team was equally important.
Credit goes to young army
“This triumph has not happened in just one year. But if you notice, young players in the team like me, Danish [Malewar, scored 783 runs], Yash Rathod [highest run-getter with 960 this season], Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur and Atharva Taide, we all have won at least two to three trophies in age group cricket. So, we knew about that winning feeling and what we needed to do to win in the knockout games. You can say it is a secret mantra or a winning habit and that helped us to handle pressure during big matches,” Dubey remarked.
When asked about his higher-level ambition, he said: “Honestly, I am not expecting anything [bigger opportunities]. Whatever comes to me, I will focus on that. I am not thinking about the future. What’s in my hand is to work hard and perform.”
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