Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22: Himachal Pradesh lifted their first-ever domestic title in 19 years under the leadership of Rishi Dhawan when they defeated Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Finals. It was nothing less than a dream come true for a side which had never won a title to beat hot favorites Tamil Nadu in a high-intensity game. Follow cricket’s latest updates on InsideSport.IN.
Himachal showed a lot of courage throughout the tournament and surprised everyone with their performance. But it was never an easy task for an inexperienced side like Himachal to remain on top on most occasions. However, they found a very able leader in Rishi Dhawan who led his team from the front throughout the tournament.
#VijayHazareTrophy winners. 🏆
Congratulations and a round of applause for Himachal Pradesh on their triumph. 👏 👏#HPvTN #Final pic.twitter.com/bkixGf6CUc
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 26, 2021
Also Read: Himachal Pradesh beat Tamil Nadu: Rishi Dhawan’s side win Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021
Apart from Dhawan, Himachal Pradesh had two more players to credit for their maiden domestic title. InsideSport looks at 3 heroes in Himachal’s first-ever domestic title win in 19 years.
1. Rishi Dhawan- The first and foremost name that should come to one’s mind when talking about heroes in Himachal’s win is Rishi Dhawan. The 31-year-old all-rounder was handed the responsibility to lead a bunch of youngsters and he did not disappoint his team management rather showed that he was the best option. He performed for his team in almost every match, both with bat and ball.
The Himachal captain finished the tournament as the second-highest run-getter. Dhawan scored 458 runs at an average of 76.33 and a strike rate of 127.22 in the eight games he played. His consistency can be gauged from the fact that he scored five half-centuries in the tournament. His knock of 84* (77) in the semifinals and 42* (23) in the finals were probably the best. Apart from scoring the bulk of runs, he also claimed 17 wickets from 8 games @23.35 avg and an economy rate of 6 rpo and finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22: 3 heroes in Himachal’s first-ever domestic title win in 19 years
2. Prashant Chopra- The 29-year-old opening batter was right behind his captain in terms of scoring runs. Chopra finished the tournament with 456 runs from eight games at an average of 57. He also scored five half-centuries and played his role to perfection by holding one end intact in most of the games. His knock of 99 in the QFs against Uttar Pradesh was the highlight of his sublime batting throughout the tournament.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22: 3 heroes in Himachal’s first-ever domestic title win in 19 years
3. Shubham Arora- The left-hand opening batter has impressed everyone with his performance in his debut Vijay Hazare season. The 24-year-old was Himachal’s star in the final match against Tamil Nadu. He played an unbeaten knock of 136 and aced the 315-run chase against a dominant bowling lineup. The southpaw showed a lot of maturity in a high-intensity game and batted through the innings to seal a comfortable victory for his team.
A fine hundred in the chase by Shubham Arora! 👍 👍
The Himachal Pradesh opener is doing a fantastic job with the bat in the #VijayHazareTrophy #Final. 👌👌 #HPvTN
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/QdnEKxJB58 pic.twitter.com/q1LtOrZ0Im
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 26, 2021
Arora finished the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare season with 313 runs from eight games @44.71 with the help of a century and a half-century.
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