The most successful skipper of Vidarbha, Faiz Fazal, declared his retirement from domestic cricket on Sunday, February 18. His last day playing domestically will be Monday, Day 4 of the current Ranji Trophy match between Nagpur and Haryana at the VCA Civil Lines Stadium.
Concurrently, Fazal’s previous coach, Chandrakant Pandit, who led Vidarbha to consecutive title victories in the Irani Cup and Ranji Trophy, claimed that the latter ought to have been given more chances to represent his country. The batter’s ability to slip on the field was also complimented by the coach.
“He’s been a fantastic player. He had flawless technique. He was an excellent slip fielder. He ought to have represented India in more games,” Pandit told TOI.
“He used to constantly declare he wanted to play for India during the three years I was the Vidarbha coach. That sustained his motivation. “Maybe his body wasn’t supporting him after sustaining the knee injury, so he called it a day and had surgery for the same,” he continued.
The 62-year-old added that Faiz Fazal is now viewed as an inspiration by the upcoming Vidarbha players.
“In addition to leading the Vidarbha cricket team to success, Faiz has been an excellent role model for the team’s younger players. He is a modest, grounded person, according to Pandit.
Chandrakant Pandit went on to discuss his time with Vidarbha, saying that Fazal’s best performance came in a match against Maharashtra, when he faced 324 balls and made 131 runs. The 38-year-old, he said, never grumbled about anything and was always willing to go the additional mile for his squad.
“I used to remind players here about that Faiz knock after moving to Madhya Pradesh as coach. It was a very good knock. As the coach, it was much easier for me because he had no ego. I recall talking to him on the phone to discuss team strategy late at night—sometimes as late as 11 p.m. He would take his time listening to me while driving from his house to mine. Never once did he voice complaints about it. As a player and skipper, he has greatly benefited Vidarbha cricket. Pandit said, “Vidarbha cricket should never forget his services.”
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