Before one-dayers, Under-19 Vidarbha players face quarantine test

NAGPUR: The pandemic has brought drastic changes to how a team approaches domestic tournaments. If the Covid protocols were not enough to deal with, a week full of isolation ahead of the tournament has made the process more challenging for new players like Vidarbha under-19 - boys and girls - teams.
The Abhishek Agrawal-led Vidarbha side has reached Indore for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.The 22-member squad has been under isolation since the last couple of days. The girls' outfit will fly to Rajkot for the one-day matches and as a precautionary measure, they are quarantined at a private hotel off Wardha Road.
The quarantine experience is gruelling and if players face it for the first time, it makes it more challenging. "Here in the hotel, they have to grapple for basic things. The most frustrating part is they cannot even feel fresh air," said a VCA official accompanying the team.
"We know some of the players may get fatigue owing to monotony - same people, same place, same room. But, our trainers are doing a great job. They conduct online sessions daily, sometimes twice a day. Our coaches are taking interactive sessions to keep players in the right frame of mind," the official added.
A women's official emphasised that isolation may help players focus more on oneself. "Generally, we may not be as professional as we should be in our cricket approach. But, isolation helps you become professional since the focus is only on ourselves. We can monitor what we are eating and our workout," the official added.
Though the experience is challenging, Vidarbha boys look better placed to stand in their group. They have quite a few experienced players like Danish Malewar and Faiz Sheikh, who can dictate terms to any opposition.
There are many new faces in the girls' squad and they look upbeat enough to challenge their rivals and garner experience for the next season.
Both the teams will get two days of practice ahead of their season openers at the match venue. While Vidarbha women's team will play Uttar Pradesh, the Agrawal-led side will play Jammu & Kashmir on September 28.
The Teams:
Boys: Abhishek Agrawal (captain), Faiz Sheikh (vice-captain), Rohit Binkar (wicketkeeper), Danish Malewar, Ayush Rajdeo, Jagjyot Sasan, Siddesh Kantode, Zubberuddin (wicketkeeper), Tejas Soni, Suyog Bhagwat, Manan Agrawal, Adnan Kamal, Sahil Sheikh, Harshit Bawne, Gaurav Farde, Varun Bisht, Siddharth Kapre (wicketkeeper), Alok Wadkar, Ashit SIngh, Yathartha Zaveri, Mrutunjay Thakur, Atharv Kide
Girls: Riddhi Naik (captain), Ayushi Thakre (vice-captain), Prangini Chauhan, Vedanti Salodkar, Rupali Sahare (wicketkeeper), Divya Pisar, Saloni Wankhade (wicketkeeper), Khushi Bhagat, Aditi Palandurkar, Hihari Kawale, Disha Kale, Ashwini Deshmukh, Jhanvi Rangnathan, Manasi Pande, Shraddha Nabira, Akshaya Sudke, Siddhi Nerkar, Arohi Bambode, Riya Baniya, Sayali Shinde, Ragini Jamgade, Bhargavi Asole