Kulwant Khejroliya’s outstanding VHT season (Source: @KKhejroliya/x.com)
When cricket’s most unbelievable milestones are discussed, the spotlight often stays on the global stage, while domestic heroes and their hidden feats slip through the cracks. The world sees the fireworks of the limited-over cricket in international stage, but the domestic white-ball tournaments are not behind.
The Ranji Trophy has produced some of the best talents for Indian cricket, but limited-over tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy delivered some of the stunners. Some of the stars represented the nation, but some of them stayed silent, like Kulwant Khejroliya.
Every edition of a tournament speaks about some heroic tales, but Khejroliya’s story is something different. In the 2017 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he achieved the extraordinary, picking up wickets in every single match.
A statement start as Khejroliya stuns the domestic arena
As the world goes behind the thrills of the ODI format, but the Vijay Hazare Trophy plants the first seed of it. Some stars ride the wave of extraordinary performances to the national stage, while others may miss the spotlight but carve out a lasting legacy of their own in the format. In the domestic circuit, Delhi is a big name as the side produced some of the biggest cricketing icons like Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and others.
Often, some of the small names go behind the superstars, but some of their unreal performances don’t let the fans forget them. Even after years, Kulwant Khejroliya’s Vijay Hazare heroics remain etched in memory, an extraordinary run where he never finished a match without a wicket in that season.
After missing the first match for Delhi, he returned to the next clash against Himachal Pradesh and grabbed attention with his fiery bowling. As Himachal batters showcased excellence, he registered a spell of 3/61 with an economy rate of 6.10. This was just the beginning, as the bowler had more to deliver.
Coming back to the next match against Maharashtra, Delhi faced a massive setback, but Khejroliya shone above all. As the other bowlers clicked crucial runs, he showcased economical bowling, securing two wickets in 35 runs. Carrying that rhythm into the clash against Tripura, he continued his impressive run, backing it up with another economical spell of 2 for 37.
Khejroliya defies consistency, shines against all odds
The sheer consistency was turning the heads, but the Delhi bowler had even more to deliver. Coming back against Kerala, his unreal form stunned the fans as he secured 1 wicket while conceding 36 runs in no overs, with an economy rate of 4.00. While the world was marveling at his heroics, Khejroliya saved his best for the last match.
In their last group stage game, they faced UP, and the bowler unleashed his beast form. Defending a modest 220, he struck gold with the very first ball by dismissing skipper Prashant Gupta for a duck, and on his return spell, he added another scalp by removing Akashdeep Nath for just four.
After that, while picking up Sarfaraz Khan and Saurabh Kumar, he completed the four-wicket haul, but the masterstroke was still pending. Returning in the 19th over, he struck Amit Mishra with the very first ball, not just a key wicket but sealing a fiery five-wicket haul that left fans in awe.
Delhi ended the campaign in the group stage, but the bowler shone above all. Talents are there with everyone, but consistency played the real game. On the domestic stage, he redefined bowling mastery, leaving a lasting legacy with a fearless tale of perseverance and brilliance.
.jpg?type=mq "India's one-run victory vs BAN")
