Nagpur: Let’s get out of the way – Akshay Wadkar Isn’t your normal flamboyan cricket. Outside the field, he can be easily misunderstood as a careful, serious, focus, almost scientific engineer. A humble 4,700 instagram followers and minimum posts outlined his unclear personality. But in the cricket field, Wadkar is a different entity: discipline, counting, and having a grit that requires attention.Fondly called “Maalik” by his young teammate, Wadkar lived in the captain with natural amenities, directing the Young Vidarbha team with instinct and intellect.The approach is a method, but clever. When the Jain Jain came to the folds in the first half, a single yorker – highlighted the Wadkar instructions to Yash Thakur – brought the desired results.When the Gaikwad Ruturaj appears to be threatening, Wadkar launches a tactical plan, placing a midfielder in Deep Point and guiding Thakur for a short delivery bowl, a little wide. Gaikwad fell for that, another evidence of the sharpness of the Wadkar in the field.
NAGPUR: Captain Vidarbha Ashthay Wadkar featured a picture after winning the 2025 Irani Cup cricket match against India, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (PTI photo) (PTI10_05_2025_000293B)
Wadkar’s eyes behind the stumps also helps in important DrS calls – such as LBW Ishan Kishan against Dubey’s dismissal or Manav Suthar – often changing tight games in Vidarbha’s support. “Being a goalkeeper helps, you think where the ball is running, how much is changing. Some calls come on a instinct,” he said.After lifting the Irani Cup, the captain quickly praised his bowling unit. “Although we have to defend 120, I can rely on my players to win it. My bowling unit is the best in the domestic circuit,” he said.
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When Wadkar took in mid-season 2022-23, Vidarbha was in the transition. Veterans like Faiz Fazal, Akshay Wakhare, UMESH Yadav, and Ganesh Satish approach their career dusk. The team needs instructions, and the ward provides it.His first game as a captain-success coming from the back of Gujarat in Jamtha-is a reflection of the attitude he will instill. Although crushed for 74, Vidarbha defended a small target of 72, pushing Gujarat for 54, marking the transition in the mind: without fear, counted, non -stop.Since then, Wadkar has led the team to the Ranji trophy and now their third Irani Cup, combining young joys with the strategic NOUS. Under his captain, Vidarbha has become a thriving party under pressure.
