Himachal Pradesh stun Tamil Nadu to win Vijay Hazare Trophy
Himachal Pradesh stunned favorites Tamil Nadu to lift their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy. They enjoyed a brilliant victory over five-time title winners Tamil Nadu. Batting first, TN managed 314/10 in 49.4 overs. Pankaj Jaiswal (4/59) was solid. In response, Shubham Arora scored an unbeaten 136 as bad light forced the game to be dictated by the VJD method. Himachal managed 299/4 in 47.3 overs.
- This was an impressive show by Himachal Pradesh, who dictated the proceedings against a fancied TN outfit.
- Skipper Rishi Dhawan had a memorable campaign with both bat and ball.
- He made his presence felt in the final as well. Credit should go to Shubham for his brilliant effort.
- This is a special moment for Himachal Pradesh as they win a maiden trophy.
TN were under the cosh, losing four wickets for just 40 runs. However, veteran batter Dinesh Karthik and Baba Indrajith stitched a 202-run stand for the fifth wicket. Their efforts helped TN get to a respectable score. For Himachal, Pankaj and Rishi Dhawan shared seven wickets. HP were reduced to 96/3 before Shubham, Amit Kumar, and Rishi played well to guide the side home.
Shubham slammed a match-winning century for HP. He managed 136* from 131 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. This was his maiden century in the tournament as he became the third HP player to amass 300-plus runs (313). He registered a strong 148-run partnership for the fourth wicket alongside Amit Kumar, who hit a sparkling 74 from 79 deliveries.
Karthik slammed a 103-ball 116 runs in the final, hitting eight fours and seven sixes. He finished the tournament with 376 runs from eight matches at 53.71 (highest for TN). This was his maiden century in the tourney this year. Indrajith hit a valiant 80 for TN. His innings was composed of eight fours and a six. He finished with 325 runs at 85.07.
Himachal Pradesh topped the standings in Elite Group A after bagging three wins and two losses. They had a superior NRR of +0.551 compared to second-placed Vidarbha (+0.210). In the quarter-finals, HP went on to claim a crucial five-wicket win over Uttar Pradesh. They beat Services in the semis by 77 runs.
In eight matches, Dhawan picked up 17 wickets to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker. He notched an average of 23.35, claiming one four-wicket haul. On Sunday, he registered figures worth 3/62 against Tamil Nadu.
Himachal Pradesh opener Prashant Chopra finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 season. Prashant, who scored 21 in the final, finished with 456 runs at 59.00. He slammed five fifties with the best score of 99. Skipper Rishi (42*) finished as the second-highest scorer in the tourney and most for Himachal (458). He enjoyed an average of 76.33.
