'It's A Great Feeling': Harsh Dubey Reflects On Vidarbha's Trophy-Laden Season

The T-shirt that Vidarbha's Harsh Dubey wore had 'Nirvana' written on it and the serene look on the face of one of India's fast emerging left-arm spinners was reflective of his cricketing thoughts.

Dubey, with 117 wickets in 23 First Class matches at an economy of 3.02, was in roaring form in the 2024-2025 season when he was part of the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy winning Vidarbha squad.

The 23-year-old spin bowling all-rounder revealed it all feels like a dream now. "Obviously, It's a dream for any cricketer to play Ranji Trophy and on top of that if you are winning the Irani Trophy as well, it's a great feeling. When I was at U-16 level, we used to follow what is happening at the Ranji Trophy and even Irani Trophy. So, today be part of the winning squads for both is something very special," he added.

Dubey had taken six wickets in the Irani Trophy win where the Ranji Trophy champions beat the Rest of India in style. When asked about being in the frame for India 'A' tours, Dubey stated he has been in the mix last couple of tours. "I was in the last couple of India 'A' tours. My focus is to see how much I can remain in the present. So, now that the Ranji Trophy is starting, the focus is to perform well there in the Ranji Trophy," he added.

Dubey takes inspiration from star India all-rounder and current national vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja. "I'm following Ravindra Jadeja since the time I started understanding cricket. So, when he was at his peak and thereabout, I started taking interest in his game during my childhood and before that I used to follow Yuvraj sir (Singh) and Sachin sir (Tendulkar)."

The young spinner feels the India selection isn't really in his hands and he controls only the controllables. With regard to the competition around him, Dubey has the same thought process. "My thought is to always look at my own performance and see how I can improve that and keep moving forward with that."

Talking about the current batch of Vidarbha players, Dubey is of the opinion they are a winning bunch. "The current batch of players we have won two or three trophies each in age-group cricket in U-14 and U-19. So, they have a good understanding of what they can do and what they want. This applies even to the physiotherapists and support staff and all the efforts from last 7-8 years is bearing fruit now."

The Pune-born player felt the recent India 'A' tour of England was a big eye-opener for him. "It was a good experience because it was my first tour outside India. I did not have a lot of experience in the conditions and wickets there. Next time I will be more prepared for the scenarios and situations."

Dubey also met Jadeja in England where he spent a good amount of time picking his brains. "I met him in England recently and I spoke to him for almost half an hour trying to understand the dynamics of left-arm spin bowling."

He also stated that he had started as a batter. In my off season, I concentrate more on my batting. Dubey revealed that spin bowling becomes gradually easier as the season progresses and that was his experience. "First half of the season there is some help for the spinners as it is not that cold.  In the second half, I won't say we get rank turners but wickets

Elaborating more on how he deals with so many left-arm spinners, current and emerging, on the scene, Dubey had this to say. "I feel whatever I'm doing, I should just continue doing that rather than focus on who is behind me or ahead of me etc because if I just focus on doing the good work, I'm confident that what I'm seeking will eventually happen."

When asked of Vidarbha was the strongest team, Dubey had an interesting answer. "I won't say strongest but the most disciplined cricketers and most united and that is our biggest forte," he added.

Published on: Sunday, October 12, 2025, 08:59 PM IST