'That hunger...' - captain Harsh Dubey reflects on Vidarbha's Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph

Vidarbha are basking in the afterglow of their Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph. But on the eve of Sunday's final against Saurashtra, there was some anxiety.

While taking slip catches, Dhruv Shorey felt sharp discomfort in his back. By evening, it was confirmed to be a spasm, and it ruled him out of the final. Losing a senior batter hours before a title contest understandably led to concern. But not too much. For Vidarbha, this was also an opportunity to showcase depth.

Prior to the semi-final, they had summoned a reinforcement after Yash Rathod injured his thumb. Rathod eventually battled through pain to play a decisive role in the final - scoring a solid 54 from No. 3 - but Shorey couldn't recover in time.

"Having a replacement ready helped us make a calm decision on match morning," Harsh Dubey, Vidarbha's captain, told ESPNcricinfo.

The reinforcement was the uncapped Faiz Mohammed Sheikh, who carried a reputation for batting time and building innings in age-group cricket. That ability tipped the scales in his favour over Shubham Dubey, who was seen more as a finisher. On List A debut, Faiz scored a quick 15-ball 19.

"We just told Sheikh to enjoy the moment and play the way he always has," Dubey said. "There was no pressure."

Another player they backed wholeheartedly was Atharva Taide. The 25-year-old sat out a majority of the 2024-25 campaign because Rathod and Shorey had been locked in as openers. But with Karun Nair, who had a glorious season that culminated in his India call-up, returning to Karnataka and Danish Malewar out injured, Vidarbha tweaked their plans.

To strengthen the middle order against spin, Rathod was asked to shift roles, opening the door for Taide to return to the top.

Taide's previous List A century had come in 2021 - an unbeaten 164 against Andhra - and while he came close several times during the group stage, he couldn't convert. He chose the final to get over the line, making a match-turning 129.

"Atharva was giving us starts but not converting them. Even in the knockouts, he had one early dismissal and one 60-70 [62 against Delhi]. But the hunger was always there," Dubey said. "Going unsold in the IPL auction added fire. He wanted to prove he belongs, regardless of the IPL. Doing it in a final made it special."

That clarity in selection extended to Vidarbha's bowling plans.

Rather than settling on a fixed attack, they chose flexibility, prioritising conditions and match-ups. In the knockouts, this approach brought Yash Thakur and Darshan Nalkande to the forefront. Thakur had largely operated as a first-change bowler till then. But ahead of the semi-final, they made a decisive shift.

"The day before the semi-final, I remembered Yash had dismissed Devdutt Padikkal in last year's final edging to slips," Dubey said. "Yash himself came to me and said he wanted the new ball [to bowl to Padikkal]."

Dubey backed him. What followed was a searing spell of seam bowling that Padikkal, who until then had been the tournament's highest run-scorer with over 800 runs, wasn't good enough to handle, at least on the day. Padikkal needed 18 balls to get off the mark before nicking behind.

"That spell was one of the best I've seen in white-ball cricket," Dubey said. "There was moisture in the pitch, and he bowled five overs of absolute quality - late movement, relentless accuracy. That set the game up for us."

After Thakur's burst, it was Nalkande's turn to make an impact. He hadn't featured during the league phase in Rajkot, where conditions favoured hit-the-deck seamers like Praful Hinge. But on the slower, lower surfaces in the knockouts, Nalkande came into his own.

In the semi-final against defending champions Karnataka, he claimed a five-for. Among his victims was Nair, undone by a perfectly disguised slower ball as a partnership with KL Shrijith threatened to push Karnataka beyond 330.

"That partnership could've taken the game away," Dubey said. "Darshan's slower ball stuck in the pitch, Karun went early. That hunger… whoever played, they just wanted to win, that was the key in the knockouts."

Perseverance and hunger defined Vidarbha's campaign.

Aman Mokhade embodied it best. From being on the fringes, he finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 814 runs at an average of 90.44, including five centuries. His majestic 138 in the semi-final to oust the defending champions was one of the top performances of the tournament.

Mokhade's form didn't come suddenly. Earlier in the Ranji Trophy season, he had scored 577 runs at an average of 96.16, placing him among the Elite Division's top-five run-getters.

"If you look at our players' age-group records, they're outstanding," Dubey said. "Many are just waiting for opportunities. Last year, Karun was scoring heavily, so Aman didn't get chances. But he learned a lot from him. That hunger - 'whenever I get a chance, I'll perform' - runs through this group."

R Samarth, who came in for Nair after a stint with Uttarakhand, came up with a crucial half-century in the semi-final against Karnataka.

Dubey identified Vidarbha's tournament opener against Bengal as a turning point. Vidarbha scored 392, yet lost. "There were hard truths spoken after that game. We dropped five or six catches. Rajkot is batting-friendly, so we spoke about what we could control - accuracy, discipline, death bowling, fielding.

"From that game onwards, we improved in all those areas. That set the tone."

For Dubey, the Vijay Hazare Trophy title marked a significant step in his leadership journey.

Regularly switching between age-group and senior commitments meant he rarely stayed long enough with a side to captain it. Even this season, he found out he would be leading Vidarbha only days before the tournament began, courtesy a Facebook post. "I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't fully aware either," he said. "I just saw it as another opportunity."

The learning curve was steep. Vidarbha's T20 campaign earlier in the season had been underwhelming, forcing Dubey to reflect on decision-making, communication and standards.

"I believe batters can win you games, but to win tournaments you need strong bowling and good preparation," he said. "That's what we focused on."

It showed in how they rebounded from the Bengal defeat, or calmly navigated Shorey's absence on the eve of the final.

Celebrations were brief. A short burst of music and dance on the team bus marked Vidarbha's maiden white-ball title. Within 12 hours, they were back on the road, embarking on a five-hour journey to Anantapur for their Ranji Trophy fixture against Andhra beginning January 22.

Vidarbha top Group A in the Ranji Trophy and are well placed to make the knockouts. But as head coach Usman Ghani has reminded them, the Ranji season is "a new day, a new game".

There is no time to dwell on past glory. Only time to keep marching.