He was billed as one of talented youngsters during his Under-19 days; has shared dressing rooms with top players of the country and is again back in the thick of the things. Vidarbha opener Faiz Fazal is doing what he has done best for Vidarbha, scoring runs when it matters the most. After doing well in the Ranji Trophy, the 30-year-old played a key role for Vidarbha in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-day tournament), where they topped the Group ‘C’ points table. His performance under tough circumstances has been rewarded with a berth in the India ‘A’ squad for the forthcoming Deodhar Trophy. “It’s great to be selected in a prestigious tournament like the Deodhar Trophy. I have been part of earlier Deodhar squads and it’s very competitive tournament. I would put my best if given the opportunity,” Faiz said. After finishing as the highest run-getter for Vidarbha till the league stage in the Ranji Trophy, Faiz again topped the run chart for his team in the one-day tournament with 312 runs at an average of 52 including three important fifties against Delhi, Baroda and champions Gujarat. Now, he is doing the same in the shortest format as well. While he is anchoring the batting others are playing around him which has helped Vidarbha win four successive matches in the Group ‘A’ of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy. He is back at the helm of the team as they look to qualify for the Super League of the tournament. The leadership role is bringing the best out of him. He was the vice-captain in the Ranji and Vijay Hazare tournaments. “I have always enjoyed captaincy. I have captained various Vidarbha sides right from my Under-14 days. So captaincy is not new to me. I have always loved to lead from the front,” Faiz said. This year has been exceptional for Faiz. The key for him was to keep things simple. “I haven’t done anything different. I have only tried to time the ball and find the gaps. It’s important to keep your basics right. If you do that, you can make runs in any format. I have batted the same way in Twenty20 as I have done in the Ranji Trophy,” he said. For the first time in their history Vidarbha have topped their Group in both - Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare this season. After five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, they are again sitting at the top with four wins out of five matches. With one match to go, Faiz would like see his team finish on top here too. Gandhe looks forward to good show from India Under-19s Preetam Gandhe, former junior selector from Central Zone has seen the current India Under-19 boys from their Under-16 days. For the last two-three years, he has watched them closely and hopes they will be put up a good show in the forthcoming U-19 ICC Cricket World Cup. “We had been tracking them since their Under-16 days. They are all talented, as well as performers. They have performed well consistently in days (multi-day matches) and one-dayers. They are lucky to have good guidance. With a legend like Rahul Dravid, a seasoned coach like Paras Mhambrey, they couldn’t have asked for more,” Gandhe told BCCI.tv While speaking about Ishan Kishan, the former Vidarbha captain said, “He is now playing at senior level. He is good wicketkeeper and also a very good striker of the ball. He can change his game according to the situation and hit the ball a long way. He also has the ability to anchor the innings.” He also added that Rishabh Pant’s game is very similar to Ishan Kishan’s but bit more aggressive. While talking about Ricky Bhui, he stated, “He has played the last (U-19 ICC CWC) World Cup so that experience will help him and the team. He is a typical middle-order batsman, who has the ability to keep the scoreboard moving. He paces the innings nicely and is also a clean striker of the ball. The fact that he is also playing in Ranji Trophy is helping his game.” “Amandeep Khare is a busy player. He runs hard between the wickets and plays very few dot balls. He is an asset to the side. He places the ball nicely into the gaps and particularly strong on the off side. Even if you have two-three players in the off side, he will still find the gaps,” Gandhe observed while examining the batting line-up. “Anmolpreet Singh is a steady batsman, but can take any bowler to the cleaners when the team requires. He has scored tons of runs in both one-dayers and the long format. He is very athletic in the field,” he said while speaking about the Punjab lad. While talking about Mumbai’s Armaan Jaffer, who has scored tons of runs in Cooch Behar Trophy this season, the former cricketer said, “He is very stylish and someone who keeps a price on his wicket. He doesn’t throw his wicket and has all the shots in the book. He has the ability to anchor the innings.” While Armaan can help lay a solid foundation, Sarfaraz Khan can tear apart attacks. “He is a match winner. Everyone has seen him play some good innings at senior level. Be it Ranji Trophy, one-dayers or T20. The IPL experience will help him,” Gandhe added. Team Rajasthan’s Mahipal Lomror has performed well in the middle-order. “He has the ability to find the gaps and has good ground strokes. He assesses the situation very well and acts accordingly. He is also a very handy left-arm spinner in the shorter version and a lightning quick fielder,” he added while discussing the lineup. MS Washington Sunder who got the team off to some good starts recently also earned Gandhe’s appreciation. “He is a typical opener and very graceful. He has the ability to anchor the innings and a very good off spinner. He bowls in good channels.” Rahul Batham’s allround abilities have also impressed Gandhe. “He can be used as a third seamer and a handy lower middle-order batsman. He is very useful at No.6, 7 or 8. He has made runs and taken wickets wherever he has got the opportunity. He is nippy with the ball and has got good seam movement,” he said about MP allrounder.His state-mate Avesh Khan has already proved his worth as a strike pacer, while his new ball partner Khaleel Ahmad has provided the variety in pace bowling attack. Gandhe also praised Uttar Pradesh’s Shubham Mavi “Avesh is a strong lad with good speed. He has the ability to move the ball both ways and can use the short ball with good effect. He has played at the senior level so he soaks the pressure well. Khaleel is a lanky left-am seamer. He is very nippy and moves the ball both ways. He can bowl equally well with new and the old ball. Shubham is a strong guy with a sharp bouncer. He has got brilliant in-cutter. He has got that aggression a fast bowler requires,” he added. Being a former spinner, he looked excited to see the likes of left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar and leggie Zeeshan Ansari. “Mayank varies his pace nicely and keeps the batsmen guessing. He is very difficult to hit because he bowls in good areas. Zeeshan is a born leg-spinner. After a Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Narendra Hirwani, I saw a genuine leg-spin talent. He is short which helps in the flight and possesses a deadly googly. I have seen him bowl right-handers out by drawing them forward for a cover drive,” Gandhe said. VCA release Mhambrey Paras Mhambrey has done wonders with the teams he has coached in his decade-long caching career. He is one of the key factors in Vidarbha’s success for the last two years. Under his able guidance the team made it to the knock-outs of Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare one-day tournaments for successive years. Last year, Mhambrey was part of the India ‘A’ support staff led by former India captain Rahul Dravid. When Dravid took the charge of India Under-19s, Mhambrey joined him during the tri-series in Sri Lanka involving England in December 2015. Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has graciously released him for India duties. Now, with Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup on the horizon, Mhambrey is continuing as a the bowling coach of India Under-19 and seeing a larger picture, VCA has released even as Vidarbha are due to play the quarter-final of Ranji Trophy.