Sumit Kumar, Harshal Patel, Ankit Kumar star in Haryana’s maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy win
Haryana 287 for 8 (Ankit 88, Menaria 70, Choudhary 4-49) beat Rajasthan 257 (Tomar 106, Rathore 79, Sumit 3-34, Harshal 3-47) by 30 runs
In a pulsating last that was alive proper till the very finish, Haryana’s bowlers held their nerve to clinch their maiden Vijay Hazare crown in Rajkot. It meant a century in a steep chase beneath stress by Rajasthan opener Abhijeet Tomar, who lifted his facet from 12 for 3, ended up in a shedding trigger.
Rajasthan have been in agency management going into the final 10 overs needing 76 with 5 wickets in hand. An over later, when Rahul Chahar and Kunal Singh Rathore pocketed 17 off legspinner Amit Rana, it seemed as if the momentum had firmly swung Rajasthan’s means.
His cutters into the floor first accounted for the set Rathore off the primary ball of the forty fourth. Then in his subsequent over, off the forty sixth, he had the big-hitting Ajay Singh gap out to deep sq.. From cruise management, Rajasthan hit panic mode.
Legspinner Rahul Tewatia and quick bowler Anshul Kamboj then closed the sport out expertly. When Kamboj flattened Khaleel Ahmed’s stumps within the forty eighth over, it triggered frenzied celebration within the Haryana camp. Rajasthan had been knocked over for 257, thirty in need of Haryana’s 287 for 8.
It meant Ashok Menaria, in his first season as knowledgeable for Haryana, lifted the crown in opposition to the facet he represented with nice distinction – he is a two-time Ranji Trophy winner – for over a decade. Menaria did not simply raise the trophy, however performed an equal half within the last to inject momentum into an innings that appeared to be caught in third gear.
Menaria himself had been a part of that wrestle early on, however to his credit score, dug in and did not throw his wicket away. His 124-run stand for the third wicket with opener Ankit Kumar set it up for Haryana. Ankit, who has loved a breakthrough List A season, did the early operating to make a fluent 88, earlier than falling to left-arm-seamer Aniket Choudhary.
It’s at this level that Menaria offset any stress there could have been on Haryana by taking the assault to the bowlers, hitting three boundaries off the subsequent six deliveries. But simply as a century loomed, he fell making an attempt to speed up much more, changing into Choudhary’s third sufferer.
Late cameos from allrounders Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia and Sumit Kumar merely reiterated Haryana’s batting depth. The final 9 overs produced 82 to present Haryana momentum on the midway mark. Choudhary, like he’d been all match, was the decide of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 49. His swing up entrance and arduous lengths within the center overs that made it tough for batters to pepper the lengthy sq. boundaries have been noteworthy.
Having struck an unbeaten 16-ball 28, Sumit continued his fairytale night by dismissing Ram Chouhan and Mahipal Lomror in his first two overs. Off his third, he had the huge wicket of Rajasthan captain Deepak Hooda, who solely lower than 48 hours in the past had made a scarcely believable 180 to knock out Karnataka. At 12 for 3, Rajasthan have been at risk of being blown away.
Tomar held agency, and located some assist from Karan Lamb and Rathore as they saved plugging away, at all times in sight of the asking price even when boundaries weren’t at all times simply accessible. Their ploy of taking the sport deep almost rattled Haryana. That’s when two skilled bowlers who hadn’t loved a very fruitful night with the ball till then determined to face up and be counted. It had a deflating impact on Rajasthan, for whom this was a case of being so close to, but thus far.