Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 | Passionate Himachal Pradesh outrun Tamil Nadu to win maiden title

There was some drama in the middle during the final minutes of play during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 final between Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh when bad lights eventually stopped play. 

Chasing a mammoth 315 in 50 overs, Himachal Pradesh were 299/4 in 47.3 overs when the play had to be stopped but the Rishi Dhawan-led side was well ahead of the requirement and they were crowned the CHAMPIONS eventually after winning the finale by 11 runs (VJD Method). 

Rishi Dhawan was emotional. The Himachal Pradesh players were delighted. Their joy knew no bounds. The hard work had paid off. After all, they had won their first Vijay Hazare Trophy and against a side that is certainly looked up as the giant in the domestic circuit. 

Dhawan expressed delight at lifting the trophy after the game. “It was long pending and we've finally done it. Really happy,” he said. 

Shubham Arora’s resistance

It’s not really for a batter to negotiate a formidable bowling lineup when the side is chasing a target of over 300 runs and the wickets had fallen around him but Himachal Pradesh’s Shubham Arora was strong-headed enough to help his team overcome a tricky situation. 

Himachal had started off well as the openers Arora and Prashant Chopra had put up 60 runs on the board but the latter’s departure certainly broke the shackles and the team began to lose wickets at regular intervals and were 96/3 when Amit Kumar came out to bat. 

The complexion of the game certainly changed from here on. It seemed as if Arora and Amit had a plan in their minds and the two batters were executing that pretty well. 

They began the rebuilding process in a cautious manner but never let the asking rate mount and eventually stitched a stand of 148 runs for the fourth wicket. Kumar was eventually undone for 74 off 79 after he was trapped in front of the stumps by Baba Aparajith but his departure didn’t really impact Shubham as he remained unbeaten at a well-compiled 136 off 131 to anchor his side to the victorious triumph. 

Rishi Dhawan’s aggressive stroke-play

Himachal Pradesh captain Rishi Dhawan had been in good form in the tournament but what was unleashed on Sunday was a master class from an experienced lad. 

Dhawan took on the Tamil Nadu spinners and especially Murugan Ashwin and hammered runs all around the park. He struck an unbeaten 42 off 23 deliveries including five fours and a maximum. 

He in fact discussed his knock after the game. “I was telling Shubham not to take any pressure, just get a single and I'll handle the pressure,” he said during the post-match presentation. 

Dinesh Karthik & his valuable experience 

As we talk about Shubham Arora for his performance in this final, the credits can’t really be taken away from Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik who helped his side come out of a critical situation and put up a huge total on the scoresheet. 

In a process of shielding the regular batsmen early in the day, Tamil Nadu certainly experimented with their batting lineup where they promoted lower middle order batters like Murugan Ashwin and Sai Kishore up the order. 

The track and the conditions in Jaipur early in the morning were favouring the bowlers and this was pretty evident when Himachal Pradesh reduced Tamil Nadu to 40/4 before Karthik and Baba Indrajith joined hands and put up a partnership of 202 runs for the fifth wicket. While Indrajith scored 80 off 71, Karthik piled up a ton. 

The right-hander too took his time to get his eye in first and then accelerated to eventually score 116 in 103 deliveries which involved 7 sixes and eight fours during the course. 

Later, Shahrukh Khan who is known to score runs at a brisk pace capitalised on the foundation laid by Karthik and Indrajith as he chipped in with 42 off 21 as Tamil Nadu struck 314 in 49.4 overs before getting bowled out. 

Pankaj Jaiswal eventually picked up four wickets while Rishi Dhawan scalped a three-for. 

Buttery hands

The only thing that two sides will look back and will like to work on is the fielding efforts. Barring the early minutes of the day, the fielding from both the teams was dismal. In fact, Himachal Pradesh dropped Dinesh Karthik twice before he had scored his ton while Tamil Nadu missed out on run out chances and sitters. 

Later, Karthik showed some sportsman spirit and especially went to congratulate the Himachal Pradesh players.