Ranji Trophy 2016-17: Faiz Fazal begins to reap rewards of hard work

Apart from marshalling his resources well, the opener put up a commanding performance with the bat — an exquisitely crafted knock of 94. Under the circumstances, it was a telling contribution as the knock propelled Vidarbha to a healthy 46-run lead at the half-way stage in the game. Appointed captain at the start of the Ranji season, Fazal says that in a team of inexperienced faces, the onus to score big runs lies squarely on his shoulders.

“We have a young team. Hence, as a captain it’s my responsibility to play the sheet anchor’s role, and let other batsmen bat around me. That was our plan, and thankfully players like Sanjay Ramaswamy and Ganesh Satish batted responsibly,” he adds.

Not just the batsmen, but it’s Vidarbha’s spin duo of Akshay Wakhare and Azhar Sheikh, who were instrumental in plotting the win. At the end of the third day’s play, the match looked like it would meander towards a drab stalemate. However, Wakhare and Sheikh spun a web as early as the morning session to catch Saurashtra completely off-guard. From 102/2, Sitanshu Kotak’s side were bundled out for 189 inside two hours. That gave Fazal’s side the opening to press home for a win. “We knew that our only chance was during the morning session. I just asked my spinners to be patient and bowl consistent lines and lengths,” Fazal says when asked about his plan on the final day. At times, you don’t have to be an extravagant turner of the cricket ball. Just bowling with discipline can fetch you ample rewards. On a slow turning Karnail track, this is precisely what Wakhare and Sheikh did. “This is a typical Karnail Singh track. It’s slow and the ball does not quite come on to the track. As a batsman, you have to be patient and it’s important to get your eye in. Similarly, the bowlers will not get immediate help. You need to keep honing in on the correct areas. On all the four days, our batsmen and bowlers did exactly that,” he explains.

Fazal has not quite been able to touch the stratospheric heights he had achieved in the 2015-16 season. In six games spanning 10 innings, he has accrued 423 runs with four fifties so far. What would perturb him a bit is that he has two scores in the 90s this season. “I know that I have not scored a hundred so far. But you never know. We still have two more league games remaining, and if I can score a double hundred and help my team to a win it will be great,” he says.

International cricket did get a fleeting glimpse of the left-hander, when he made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe at Harare in August. Fazal, on his part, admits he has fond memories from that solitary international game. “It’s true that I played just one game. But it was my first India cap. And I scored a half-century as well, so it was a memorable experience for me,” he notes.