'Alex Ferguson of Ranji trophy' - Dinesh Karthik praises Chandrakant Pandit following MP's Ranji Trophy triumph

Madhya Pradesh created history on Sunday after winning their first-ever Ranji Trophy title. They beat heavyweights and title-favourites Mumbai by six wickets in the final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The big names Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kartikeya, and Yash Dubey will be credited for the team’s success for a long time but one name, that will remain forever in fans’ memory is Madhya Pradesh head coach Chandrakant Pandit, whom Indian star Dinesh Karthik terms as Alex Ferguson of Ranji Trophy.

The 60-year-old former Indian cricketer now has won six Ranji Trophy tournaments as coach, three with Mumbai, two with Vidarbha, and the latest one with Madhya Pradesh. He previously played and captained Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy but he will be celebrated for his success as a coach. Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Karthik joined the fans and experts to shower praises on Pandit for his remarkable work with Madhya Pradesh this season.

“Couldn’t be happier for CHANDU sir.  Amazing – Understanding personality traits – Preparing them accordingly – Using them tactically to win championships. ALEX FERGUSON of RANJI trophy.” Karthik tweeted.

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer also took to Twitter and lauded Pandit’s glory as a coch. “Chandu bhai, tumhaala maanla 1st Mumbai, then Vidarbha, and now MP, it’s incredible! Best coach when it comes to winning trophies Many congratulations to skipper Aditya Shrivastava, MP team, and support staff.” Jaffer wrote.

It is a great memory that I had left 23 years back: Chandrakant Pandit

Notably, Pandit represented Madhya Pradesh for six years and captained the side that reached the finals in 1999. They lost to Karnataka by 96 runs in the final on the same ground but now Pandit, who joined in March last year, has led the young Madhya Pradesh side to glory as a head coach. After the match, he said that this win felt emotional and it was a blessing that he came back to his former team.

“It is a great memory that I had left 23 years back (he lost the Ranji Trophy final as MP captain in 1998-99) and it is a blessing that I come back here, and winning this trophy was fabulous. It is emotional because I missed out as captain on the same ground. There is no a particular reason but I look for a challenging job where the teams are not doing well, there also should be youngsters and to develop that particular state. I used to play for MP and played for them for six years, I knew the culture and when the offer came to me in March, I did not hesitate.” Pandit said to reporters after a match.