PHOTOS

Meet Vidarbha Captain Akshay Wadkar, Who Slammed Hundred In Ranji Trophy Final: Talented Wicketkeeper/Batter Who Idolises MS Dhoni; In Pics

Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar played one of the best knocks of his career in the final of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 against Mumbai. He slammed a hundred on Day 5 of the final at Wankhede stadium as Vidarbha was chasing over 500 runs in the fourth innings of the match. In this story, we introduce this talented wicketkeeper and batter who can be a solid India cricketer in future.

Zee Media Bureau|

Updated:Mar 14, 2024, 12:53 PM IST

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Check his FC record

Before, we know more about Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar, take a look at his first-class record. Wadkar, 29, has played 50 FC matches, scoring 3036 runs at an average of 49.77 with 8 hundreds and 17 fifties to his name. (Image: Instagram)

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First professional match?

It was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2012-13 that Wadkar made his professional debut for Vidarbha. He made his first-class debut in 2017-18. In his debut Ranji season, Wadkar stroked 308 runs at an average of 61.60.

(Image: Instagram)

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Brilliant 2018-19 season

Vadkar had an outstanding second season wherein he scored 725 rus in just 11 matches, scoring at an average of 60.41. He also hit 3 hundreds and 2 fifties in that series. Vidarbha won Ranji titles in Wadkar's first two seasons. (Image: Instagram)

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Idolises MS Dhoni

Wadkar met MS Dhoni on February 29 and made a post on his Instagram that read: "Once In A Life Time Moment With M.S.Dhoni.29.01.2024. Feeling Blessed. Dil Khush Ho Gaya." This post shows how much meeting his idol Dhoni meant Wadkar. (Image: Instagram)

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Learnt skills from Saha

Wadkar has followed Saha's career and learnt a lot from him as far as wicketkeeping skills are concerned. "I follow Wriddhiman Saha. His attitude behind the stumps is fantastic. He moves a lot while keeping. He dives really well. A player doesn’t think of injuries when in the game, so I have never thought of that too. His keeping prowess gives me the impression that if you have dived 100 times in the practice, doing it a couple of times in the game is not a problem at all," Wadkar once told Sportstar. (Image: Instagram)

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Refused to go to England

Once Wasim Jaffer, who also played for Vidarbha, approached him with an offer to go to England to hone his skils but Wadkar politely refused the offer as he wanted to become a better batter in the Indian conditions. "I had got an opportunity once. Wasim bhai (Jaffer) had a contact and he had asked me if I was interested to go to England, but I want to master the art of playing spin in the heat, in the Indian conditions. I never wanted to go to England. As a middle-order batsman, I have to face the spinners when playing here in the domestic season," said Wadkar. (Image: Instagram)