Kolkata: On Teacher’s Day, the eve of the Duleep Trophy final, Manish Ojha has one particular wish — that his most famous ward, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, produces a record-breaking knock when East Zone take on South Zone in the title clash starting Sunday.Vaibhav’s childhood coach, who watched East Zone’s semifinal in Bengaluru, is in Chennai for Sunday’s title clash against South Zone, hoping the 15-year-old can make the most of a venue where he has already left his mark. Vaibhav scored 104 for India A against Australia A in a Youth Test here on Oct 1, two years ago, and Ojha believes that familiarity could work in his favour as he bids to strengthen his red-ball credentials.However, Vaibhav will not be the only player from Bihar and Jharkhand under the spotlight. East’s campaign has been powered by a strong contingent from the two states, with captain Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav, Anukul Roy and Mukesh Kumar regulars in the side, while Virat Singh and Kumar Kushagra add further depth. They are complemented by Bengal’s Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran, giving East a blend of youth and proven red-ball experience.The stakes are higher with the national selection panel, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, expected to watch the final. For Ishan and Vaibhav, in particular, the match offers a chance to underline their red-ball worth in front of the selectors and strengthen their cases for India’s Test setup.“Vaibhav has his own method and his own way of making runs. Ultimately, what matters is the performance and whether you are making runs for your team. He does that. His style of making runs is different,” Ojha told STOI from Chennai on Saturday.The coach is also impressed by the maturity Vaibhav is beginning to show despite his age and aggressive approach.“He is not even 16 yet, so give him time. Slowly, as he keeps playing, you can see the maturity coming into his game. According to the situation of the match, he is starting to change his game little by little,” Ojha said.“By the time he is 24, I feel he will still have another eight to 12 years of cricket ahead of him. You will expect a lot from him then, and I believe he will stand up to those expectations.”East’s return to the final after 14 years carries historical significance. Their last Duleep Trophy triumph came in the 2012-13 season, when they defeated Central Zone in the final in Chennai. A return to the city gives the current side an opportunity to recreate that piece of history.Former India and Jharkhand cricketer Shahbaz Nadeem believes East’s balance makes them strong contenders against South Zone.“Look at Shami, look at Ishan, look at Virat Singh and Anukul. There is a lot of experience as well as young blood. I think this mixture of youth and experience is a very good and, I would say, deadly combination,” Nadeem said.For Nadeem, reaching the final itself is a significant achievement for East after such a long wait.“It is always a premier tournament in India. If you are playing the final of such a tournament and representing a zonal team, there is nothing bigger than getting an opportunity to perform there. East Zone are reaching the final after many years, so I think it is very important for the boys,” he said.Nadeem also expects Anukul to play an important role in Chennai after a productive run in domestic cricket and with India A recently.“I think he will be quite useful on the Chennai wicket because he also bowls. His batting is also a plus point and his fielding is another plus point. This will be an important match for him to prove himself and give the selectors a statement that ‘I also belong at that level’,” he said.Meanwhile, for Ojha, Saturday’s Teacher’s Day has a special resonance. He is in Chennai watching a pupil he helped shape take another step towards the highest level.His wish for Sunday is simple. “Main to chahta hun wo 200 mar de, 300 mar de, sab record tod de (I wish him to score 200, 300 (in the game) and smash all the records,” Ojha says in jest and hopes Vaibhav turns his familiarity with the Chennai pitch into a big red-ball statement — and perhaps another record to remember.
