Ranji Trophy: Chandrakant Pandit keen to replicate Vidarbha success with Madhya Pradesh

India’s most successful journeyman domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit will now coach Madhya Pradesh in the next season after completing three eventful years with Vidarbha in which they won back-to-back Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup titles. In fact, Pandit during the final phase of his career played as a professional for Madhya Pradesh after a successful first-class record with Mumbai and for some time for Assam. [caption id=“attachment_8189981” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Vidarbha won both the Ranji and Irani trophies in 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons under the guidance of Chandrakant Pandit. PTI[/caption] Pandit expressed confidence that he can end Madhya Pradesh’s trophy drought. “I have been working with so many states, and this is one of the states for which I have played cricket as a professional and I was coach cum player and captain. The environment is known to me,” Pandit told PTI. “After so many years, I am going back there. There are young players in MP, similar to Vidarbha. I’m sure I will be able to do a good job as good as with MP,” Pandit said. The former India stumper said he likes a two to three season stint with any domestic team. “Three years I had done with Vidarbha because I think of spending time for two-three years (with a team). Whatever we did with Vidarbha, all the credit goes to players and of course the support I received from Prashant Vaidya and VCA President Anand Jaiswal. The players too responded well,” recalled Pandit, who was part when Vidarbha made history. It is learned that while the modalities of his contract are being worked out at the moment, Pandit is in all likelihood to get a period of two years. The 58-year-old Pandit, a former domestic bulwark, has previously also coached Mumbai, Maharashtra and Kerala and is one of the most successful coaches in the domestic circuit. He was also the Director of Rajasthan Cricket in the past. For the past three years, he was with Vidarbha and of those, two seasons Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy. Pandit, who played five Tests and 36 ODIs for India, also played for Madhya Pradesh.