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At 31, it is doubtful that Vishnu Solanki’s career extends beyond domestic cricket, but when it comes to iron temperament, he is among the best in Indian cricket. His numbers (2541 runs in 40 matches (before this Ranji Trophy quarter-final) at an average of 39.70) do not fully capture the qualities of him as a cricketer.
He commands tremendous respect in the cricket fraternity. There is a reason why he is the captain of Baroda. He has always put the interest of his team above all else and has the rare ability to overcome pain and get the job done for Baroda.
At the start of the 2022 season, affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, he faced two tragedies in a matter of days. His father died days after losing his newborn daughter. After attending his daughter’s funeral, Solanki returned to Cuttack for Baroda’s Ranji Trophy second-round match against Chandigarh. He braved his personal loss to score an important hundred for his team’s cause.
Tragedy struck again when, on the last day of the game, he received the news of his father’s death. He watched the funeral via video call while the game was going on.
His tough character has once again been on display in the high-stakes Ranji quarter-final against Mumbai at the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy ground here. Facing Mumbai on their own turf is a formidable challenge, especially against their quality bowling attack this season. With Baroda facing the tough challenge of responding to Mumbai’s first innings of 384, Solanki reunited with Shashwat Rawat to put up an impressive fight. Left-handed Rawat scored 124 off 194 balls (15 fours) and Solanki scored 136 off 291 balls (14 fours), helping Baroda reach 348 all out. With Mumbai’s lead at just 36 runs, it has been ensured that everything is on the line in the second innings with two days left in the five-day match.
Showing great concentration, Solanki seemed determined to help Baroda take the lead. When Baroda touched 300/5, the first innings was balanced. But the support Solanki expected from the lower order did not come as they lost their last seven wickets for 78 runs. After Rawat became the third wicket to fall from a total of 239, Solanki continued to fight to take ninth for 348.
The highlight of their 174-run partnership was how the pair dealt with the threat of Mumbai spearhead Shams Mulani. On a pitch where Baroda left-arm bowler Bhargav Bhatt took seven wickets, Rawat and Solanki denied Mumbai any success throughout the morning session, taking the total to 233/2 at lunch with Rawat batting on 119 and Solanki with 74. The only chance came when Rawat tried to cut Musheer Khan, but wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore failed to take the difficult catch.
“He was supporting me and I knew that when there is an important match, I will prove myself. It’s the quarter-finals, against Mumbai in Mumbai, so (the mentality) was about showing good application and winning the match,” Solanki said.
It was pacer Tushar Deshpande who provided the breakthroughs, dismissing both centurions.
Mumbai came back furious after lunch. The spinners came into action after Deshpande broke the big partnership by having Prithvi Shaw catch Rawat at slip. Mulani was more effective with the second new ball and dealt a double blow by inducing a false hit from the in-form Shivalik Sharma and bowling the next ball to Mithesh Patel with a beauty that spun off the face of the bat. Mulani finished with four wickets.
For Solanki, the season has been up and down with just two half-centuries. But it is known that he did his best against Mumbai and did it again. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, his 30-ball 49 helped eliminate Mumbai in the quarterfinals. In the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament, he batted at number 3 and scored 94 in a total of 210 against Mumbai.
The Baroda captain said they are still in the game. “We’re a little on the defensive after conceding the lead, but we have two days left.”
Mumbai were 21/1 in the second innings after opener Bhupen Lalwani fell to Bhatt. Shaw did not come out to open after hurting his nail while he received Rawat’s strong grip at slip.