Who is Vidarbha’s Akshay Wadkar? India’s domestic giant chasing his dream effectively

Rishabh Pant’s injury and Ishan Kishan’s reluctance to return to domestic cricket have created a void. Indian cricket for the first time in over two decades faces a wicketkeeper crisis. The recent Test series against England has shown how under-staffed India are in this department. 

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KS Bharat began the series for the first two Tests but his performances weren’t good enough. Dhruv Jurel at 22-years-old was given his Test debut and he did a decent job with the bat and behind the stumps. 

India’s domestic circuit has us many good wicketkeeper options in the previous years. Anuj Rawat, Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson, Abhishek Porel, and Upendra Yadav. There is one player who has slipped under the radar and has been putting in the hard yards diligently. That man is none other than Vidarbha’s captain and wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar.

Akshay Wadkar is ready for the next level – 

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The name Akshay Vinod Wadkar may not be known beyond the hardcore cricket fanatics. That is the saddest part because this 29-year-old has everything that an ideal wicketkeeper needs. Here is another player in Indian Cricket who hasn't got the same recognition that he should. 

After the debut of MS Dhoni, the mould of a wicketkeeper and batter has changed in India. The man behind the stumps is not only supposed to be efficient with the gloves but also talented with the bat. 

Akshay Wadkar is everything and more as he has scored close to 3000 runs in his 48 domestic games. The 29-year-old has an enviable average of 51.52 with a best of 146 not out which is one of his 8 First-Class Cricket centuries. With the gloves, Akshay Wadkar has pouched 107 catches and effected 16 stumping dismissals. 

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In the seven games he played for Vidarbha this season, Akshay Wadkar has scored 431 runs with 6 half-centuries. The Vidarbha skipper began with a fine 59 against Services. This was followed by failures against Manipur and Saurashtra. 

The next four matches have witnessed Akshay Wadkar score fifties in each of the games. Against Jharkhand, Akshay Wadkar scored 52 and 51 to total 103 runs from the game. This was followed with a 59 against Rajasthan and season-high 90 against Maharashtra. Against Haryana, the 29-year-old scored 62 in the 1st innings to record his 4th successive fifty of the season. 

Vidarbha now faces the enormous challenge of taking on powerhouse team Karnataka in the 1st quarter-finals. Mumbai, Baroda, Saurashtra, and Madhya Pradesh are the other teams in the playoffs. Each of them has won the Indian domestic title just like Vidarbha and this will pose a huge challenge for Akshay Wadkar.

Recently Jitesh Sharma became the latest player to represent India and he is a teammate of Akshay Wadkar in Vidarbha. During a chat with SportsKeeda recently, Akshay Wadkar spoke his heart out. 

The 29-year-old said “I can’t say I have been unlucky or unfortunate. Maybe my performance may not have been as good as it should have been in the eyes of the selectors. I think that I should have performed better compared to the other keepers and then perhaps I will come on the selector's radar”

During the same chat Akshay Wadkar said this about Jitesh Sharma “We are very good friends first and then players. He has played for India but has no ego. He is very down to earth. He tells me ‘Yaar tujhe jaisa lagta hai waisa kar. Tu captain haid, decision lega toh sahi hoga’ because of that even I get confidence that this guy has played at the top level, he has played international cricket and the IPL and yet he says that”

One hopes that Akshay Wadkar can continue his good run of form. With Pant and Ishan Kishan’s immediate future in doubt, the 29-year-old can sense an opening. Now in the prime of his cricketing life, Akshay Wadkar can continue to dream big.