Ranji Trophy: I always felt like I left something here 23 years ago: Pandit

Rajat Patidar completed one of the most important singles runs in the history of Madhya Pradesh cricket when head coach Pandit failed to win the state team’s first Ranji title in 23 years as a player.

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“Every trophy is satisfying but it is special. I could not do that a few years ago (23 years) as an MP captain. All these years I have always felt like I had left something here. That’s why I’m here. I am a little excited and emotional about it, “he said after the recent Ranji Trophy victory.

Pandit suffered a heart attack as a player – his best 39 in the famous tie Test at Chepauk against Australia. The 1987 World Cup semi-final against England at Wankhede Stadium ended in a 24-run draw, but India lost the match. Or Kapil Dev’s one-run defeat against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy final.

But he suffered the most when he was crying uncontrollably after losing to Karnataka in the MP’s Ranji final in 1999. It was his last professional game and he lost.

As a coach, he has won literally six unprecedented Ranji titles. Pandit and Aditya Srivastava, according to their previous admissions, share “special bonds” that go beyond the professional coach-captain relationship.

Pandit said, “You have to be defeated to reach the top. When Aditya got married last year, he came to me and asked me what was the best time and I told him I could leave him for a two-day celebration. “Joe has been working for years.

The smiling young captain said, “I got married last year, but I didn’t even take 10 days off with my wife.” The coach said, “I told him to be successful, you have to work hard for a long time. It’s like a mission. “

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On his way to the ground staff of Chinnaswamy Stadium, Pandit was smiling and asked his entire team to do a photo session with him. “You have taken a very good wicket and this is special because this is the 100th first class match here,” he and his captain said while handing over a Rs 500 note to a curator.

As a coach, he has won six Ranji Trophy titles – three with his home state of Mumbai, two with Vidarbha and now with Madhya Pradesh – which was special as his last first-class season was with him. The captain of the champion team said of his ‘guru’, “First of all, I would tell Sara to laugh out loud. He is very serious about his work and is ready to talk about cricket whenever he wants.

Pundits themselves admit to being a worldly man holding a magic wand in domestic cricket but there is a way to his madness. And yes, be honest and polite.

“I’ve never tried to stay on top and I’ve always had respect for the game. The principles of my training are based on the principles learned from my three mentors – my first trainer, the late Ramakant Achrekar, my Mafatlal (office). Team) Captain, the late Ashok Mankad and the great Polly Umrigar, “said Pandit.

Pundits understand that youngsters aspiring to become professional cricketers in the T20 era will be inclined to sign IPL contracts. Despite being a fan of Red Ball cricket, as a coach, Pandit has learned the art of working around the mindset of young players and connecting them to success and legacy in the Ranji Trophy.

“There is no point in taking them away from white ball cricket, but at the same time explain to them that the Ranji Trophy is the biggest domestic competition,” he added.

“Venkatesh (Iyer), Awesh (Khan), Rajat (Patidar) and (Kumar) Kartikeya were in touch with me even while playing in the IPL and were talking regularly about my Ranji Trophy preparations,” said Pandit.

He mentioned the overwhelming support he received from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) which organized the ‘Cart Blanche’. The selectors topped the rankings of pundits and when the Holkar Stadium, which does not have MPCA property, was not available for training, the association paid to book it so as not to bother the players.

The MPCA president announced a cash prize of Rs 2 crore for the team and the second round of cheers began. He believes that one of Pandit’s USPs is working with “non-superstar” teams because he understands their thinking process well and is willing to surrender to them unconditionally.

No questions were asked, no offense was committed and no action was taken. It does not work in a starred unit, and therefore, the Pandits will never get big states (except Mumbai), because no one will be able to meet their demands.

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Recently, PTI asked him if he has lost an IPL gig, and he smiled and said: “If I call, he will get something, but I will never get anything in my style (I (any IPL team)).” But that is not my style. ). ,

He recalled how a meeting was held with KKR chief owner Shah Rukh Khan in a later bungalow before the 2012 season. He had said that day, “I had met Shah Rukh Khan at that time, but still I could not work under a foreign coach.”

He is now over 60 and will not be considered for a national team coaching assignment. But pundits don’t care. Over the years, Sunita Sharma, Rajkumar Sharma, Sanjay Bhardwaj have all received the prestigious Dronacharya Award for their association with eminent cricketers, but if you look at the record, Drona, a resident of Andheri, Mumbai, is an Indian. Domestic cricket.

After handing over the trophy to MP captain Srivastava and the players, Pandit asked them to pose. At number three, he shouted, “Who are the champions?” And a group of young people shouted “Madhya Pradesh”. It was the ‘moment’.