"We would want to kill Mumbai on the field the next time we meet them" - Vidarbha's Atharva Taide reflects on Ranji Trophy 2023/24 final
Atharva Taide was a crucial component of the Vidarbha team that went all the way to the final of the Ranji Trophy 2023/24 season. Despite a valiant fight, Vidarbha couldn't beat Mumbai as the domestic giants racked up a staggering 42nd title in the history of the coveted tournament.
Chasing a mammoth target of 538, Vidarbha didn't throw in the towel as skipper Akshay Wadkar scored a brilliant hundred and had important contributions from the likes of Karun Nair (74) and Harsh Dubey (65). Vidarbha were applauded for making the hosts work hard for their win as the margin of defeat (169 runs) didn't paint the real picture.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Atharva Taide explained why Vidarbha has been such a dominant force in domestic cricket over the past few years. He also claimed that they will be fired up to go one step better and beat domestic giants like Mumbai the next time they meet.
"Unfortunately, this year we couldn't win the final and we got a lot of condolences. But we are such a team that condolences won't make us happy. We want to win the title," Taide said.
"We would want to kill Mumbai on the field the next time we meet them. We want to ensure that next time we meet Mumbai or any other team in the final, we will be the one giving them condolences," he added.
Atharva Taide also opined that the ability to go toe-to-toe with the big teams of late has been because of the clarity about roles clarity the Vidarbha team. He added:
"Our mindset is such that we aren't pushovers. Our team is built in such a way now that we can beat any giant in their own den. This is because of the clarity of roles in our team. Starting with myself, Karun Nair, Akshay Wadkar, the legend Aditya Sarwate and Harsh Dubey who has just come into the team. When they know their role, they get the security and the belief that they can win the game from any situation."
Atharva Taide has full faith that the culture set in the Vidarbha dressing room will help them compete for trophies for the next ten years.
Atharva Taide on Vidarbha's consistency across formats
Atharva Taide also shed light on the fact that Vidarbha reached the quarterfinal of the white-ball domestic tournaments - Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy - along with the Ranji final in the 2023/24 season. He believes it is a cohesive effort from the team that is helping them go deep in tournaments no matter what the format.
"Vidarbha as a unit has been performing incredibly well for the past six to eight years. We played the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also the final of the Ranji Trophy and topped our three groups across formats. Every player has contributed crucially at different stages and there's a good team culture in Vidarbha," he said.
In eight matches in the Ranji Trophy 2023/24 season, Atharva Taide scored a staggering 584 runs with a couple of hundreds and as many half-centuries. He will be keen to replicate that form in the IPL 2024 season whenever he gets into the Punjab Kings' playing XI.