Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit was confident of victory before the start of the season

It was a historic Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and seven-time champions Delhi, which was won by the team from Maharashtra for the first time ever. A combined team effort, along with sensational bowling performance by Rajneesh Gurbani, took the team to their maiden silverware. The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has announced a cash prize of Rs 3 crore for the team, apart from the Rs 2 crore prize money declared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

A confident coach predicted victory long ago

Their coach Chandrakant Pandit was confident of winning the elite first-class tournament even before it began on October 6. VCA vice-president Prashant Vaidya recalled Pandit asking him about the reward for winning even before taking over the team officially.

“That was the first day Chandu landed in Nagpur. Before the papers were being processed, he asked me, what would happen to the prize money that the association would get after the Ranji Trophy. I was stunned,” SportsStarlive quoted Vaidya as saying.

“I asked him to repeat what he just said. I told him that we will definitely share. But at the back of my mind, I was surprised that this man was already thinking about the trophy and the prize money,” he continued.

Pandit is a former India international

Pandit, a former India wicketkeeper, took over from Paras Mhambrey as the coach this season. Mhambrey had to put down his papers after being named the India Under-19 bowling coach. The 55-year-old Pandit was Mumbai’s coach for the last two seasons, guiding them to their 41st Ranji Trophy title in 2015-16 and the final in 2016-17, which the Khadoos Army lost to eventual winners Gujarat.

He made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 1980 and featured in five Test matches and 36 One-Day Internationals between 1986 and 1992. He also served as the chairman of the national junior selection committee in 2013.