Vijay Hazare Trophy: MS Dhoni gearing up to inspire Jharkhand in the quarter-finals

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Dhoni’s men face Vidarbha test in Vijay Hazare quarter-finals. File Pic

Internet Desk: Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be under limelight again when Jharkhand Team led by him will face Vidarbha in the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Palam Ground on Wednesday.

Not only Dhoni is playing the role of an unofficial mentor of the Jharkhand side but also has been a part of the side in Vijay Hazare squad, as he captained the side in all the six group league matches so far.

Due to Dhoni’s popularity, the tournament has attracted a mass crowd wherever Jharkhand has played and it is going to be no different tomorrow.

It might be Dhoni’s last competitive match in the 50-over format ahead of the Champions Trophy in June, a tournament which would be an important one for the former India skipper. Dhoni now plays only as a wicket-keeper batsman in the national team.

Dhoni, who hit the winning runs in the previous match against J&K at Kalyani, has displayed decent form in the tournament, highlighted with a 129 against Chattisgarh at the Eden Gardens last month.

Leading against a consistent Vidarbha unit will be a challenge for Dhoni.

While Jharkhand finished second in Group D with fours win and two losses, Vidarbha topped Group A with five victories in six games.

Dhoni has been the cynosure of all eyes but the performances of his teammates have not gone unnoticed.

Senior batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who captained the side in the successful Ranji Trophy campaign, has been the team’s leading run scorer with 303 runs at a 60 plus average including two hundreds.

The star with the ball has again been left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who ended as the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy. The others who have contributed with the ball are Rahul Shukla and leading pacer Varun Aaron.

For Vidarbha, the batsmen that stood out are opener Jitesh Sharma, who has accumulated 291 runs at 48.50, and Ganesh Satish, who has collected 259 runs at 51.80.

Captain Faiz Fazal would want to be back among the runs in the all important quarterfinal, having fallen cheaply in his last three innings.

Most impressive with the ball has been left-arm spinner Akshay Karnewar, who snared 15 wickets in the league stage at 13.20.

With inputs from PTI.