The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has announced its 16-member squad for the upcoming Irani Cup, which will be played in Nagpur from 1 to 5 October. After winning the Ranji Trophy earlier this year, Vidarbha will now take on Rest of India as they look to secure their third Irani Cup title, having previously won in 2017–18 and 2018–19.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association’s senior selection committee made the official announcement on Wednesday, comprising Sudhir Wankhede, P. Vivek, and Jayesh Dongaokar. Wicketkeeper-batter Akshay Wadkar retains the captaincy, with Yash Rathod named as his deputy.
Rathod’s appointment as vice-captain comes on the back of his current form in red-ball cricket.
The 31-year-old Wadkar is a consistent performer in first-class cricket, having scored 3,906 runs in 62 matches. His highest score is an unbeaten 146, with an impressive average of 48.82 and a strike rate of 51.26. He also has 11 centuries and 19 half-centuries to his name.
Rathod has also been in excellent form in first-class cricket. The left-handed batter has scored 1,879 runs in 21 matches, with an average of 55.26 and a strike rate of 59.78. His personal best is 194, which he scored in the recent Duleep Trophy final.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey and pacer Yash Thakur, currently playing in the second unofficial Test against India A, will join the squad once the four-day match in Lucknow concludes.
Vidarbha squad for Irani Cup 2025: Akshay Wadkar (C & WK), Yash Rathod (VC), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Danish Malewar, Harsh Dubey, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Aditya Thakare, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Shivam Deshmukh (WK), Praful Hinge, Dhruv Shorey.
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