Vijay Hazare Trophy: Himachal Pradesh’s unbelievable run to Title glory

Himachal Pradesh has never made it to the top-tier of any domestic tournament in India during their playing history. Be it the Syed Mushtaq Ali, Ranji Trophy, or the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Himachal Pradesh has always been one of the ‘minnows’ in Indian domestic cricket. In the Ranji Trophy, they have been confined to the plate division for many years while their success in the Twenty20 format has not been so good. But, the year 2021 saw Himachal Pradesh create history. In their first-ever appearance in a final, Himachal Pradesh overcame the odds and defeated Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.

It was a magnificent effort and skipper Rishi Dhawan stated that the up-gradation of facilities has seen their cricket improve leaps and bounds. In this edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, wicketkeeper Shubham Arora and skipper Rishi Dhawan both led from the front with the bat. Dhawan, in particular, was the one-man show for Himachal Pradesh, leading from the front with the ball as well. With 458 runs and 17 wickets, Rishi Dhawan gave Himachal Pradesh their first silverware in cricket. Here is a recollection of their glorious journey.

Read | Vijay Hazare Trophy: Himachal Pradesh stun mighty Tamil Nadu to win title

Match 1: Vidarbha vs Himachal Pradesh. (Result: Vidarbha won by 7 wickets)

It was a bad start to the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Himachal Pradesh. Their batsmen failed to get going, with Rishi Dhawan the star of the show with 61. The total of 213 was never going to be enough as the Dadaji Konddev stadium in Thane. Fifties from Yash Rathod and Atharva Taide helped Vidarbha win by seven wickets.

Match 2: Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu and Kashmir. (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by 63 runs)

It was a good comeback from Himachal Pradesh at the same venue. They were in trouble at 97/4. But, Amit Kumar and Rishi Dhawan got Himachal back on track with a superb 75-run stand. Akash Vasisht blasted 51 off 28 balls to help Himachal Prades reach 250. Boosted by the batting performance, Dhawan led from the front with the ball with 3/44 as Himachal secured a crucial win.

Match 3: Gujarat vs Himachal Pradesh. (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by 97 runs)

Gujarat is the 2015/16 Ranji Trophy champions. But, Himachal Pradesh made a statement. Prashant Chopra, the Under-19 World Cup star, was in fine form with a brilliant 73 while Amit Kumar and Rishi Dhawan also chipped in with the fifties. Himachal Pradesh’s total of 310/9 proved to be too much for Gujarat. Vinay Galetiya and Sumeet Verma took three wickets apiece to help Himachal register a thumping win.

Match 4: Andhra vs Himachal Pradesh. (Result: Andhra won by 30 runs)

Himachal Pradesh had built up good momentum but that was halted by Andhra. Ashwin Hebbar and Srikar Bharat hit magnificent centuries. The stand between Hebbar and Bharat was worth 174 runs. Bharat smashed 161, which included 16 fours and eight sixes. Ambati Rayudu ended with a flourish by hammering 34 off 14 balls as Andhra Pradesh ended on 322/4. Himachal Pradesh fought hard with Chopra and Dhawan smashing aggressive fifties. But, Girinath Reddy chipped in with 4/52 as Himachal lost by 30 runs.

Match 5: Odisha vs Himachal Pradesh. (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by 63 runs)

The win propelled them to the quarterfinals. The top order contributed like a well-oiled machine. Shubham Arora and Chopra hit fifties and shared a partnership of 140 for the opening wicket. But, the innings were given a turbo boost by Rishi Dhawan’s 91 off 58 balls. His knock helped Himachal end on 360/5. But, Odisha refused to give up. The top three of Sandeep Patnaik, Anurag Sarangi, and Subhranshu Senapati hit fifties. Senapati led from the front with 82. But, Mayank Dagar’s 6/59 broke Odisha’s resistance and they won comfortably in the end.

Quarterfinal: Himachal Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh. (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by five wickets)

Uttar Pradesh was left reeling by the discipline of the Himachal Pradesh bowlers, with Vinay Galetiya leading the way with 3/19 in 10 overs. Pankaj Jaiswal and Sidharth Sharma took two wickets apiece and had it not been for Rinku Singh’s 76, Uttar Pradesh would have been bowled out cheaply. A target of 208 was not going to challenge Himachal. Chopra was unlucky to miss his century as he was dismissed for 99. But, his 122-run stand with Nikhil Gangta, who hit 58 helped Himachal Pradesh achieve a big win.

Semifinal: Himachal Pradesh vs Services (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by 77 runs)

Chopra continued his incredibly consistent run with yet another fifty. Dhawan led from the front yet again with a splendid 84. Akash Vasisht showed that there was tremendous depth in the Himachal Pradesh team as they reached 281/6. Despite veteran Rajat Paliwal’s fifty, Rishi Dhawan was too good on the day. His 84 was backed by a haul of 4/27 as Himachal Pradesh won by 77 runs to enter the final for the first time.

Final: Tamil Nadu vs Himachal Pradesh (Result: Himachal Pradesh won by 11 runs VJD Method)

The crowning glory for Himachal Pradesh and their cricket. Tamil Nadu were the heavyweights and were the best team in limited-overs cricket in India, with success at the Syed Mushtaq Ali and consistency in the Vijay Hazare. Tamil Nadu were reduced to 40/4 but Dinesh Karthik showed his class. Karthik became the first person to hit centuries in two editions of the Vijay Hazare Trophy final and his 202-run stand with Baba Indrajith helped Tamil Nadu reach 314. The total was additionally made possible with Mohammad Shahrukh Khan hitting 42 off 21 balls. In response, Himachal Pradesh were not overwhelmed by the score.

Shubham Arora took the attack to the Tamil Nadu bowlers with a magnificent century. His 148-run stand with Amit Kumar laid the foundation for Himachal Pradesh to gain glory. When the light faded, Himachal Pradesh were ahead on the VJD method. When they reached 299 in 47.3 overs, the match had to be called off due to bad light. Himachal Pradesh secured a famous win and it was a combined team effort that saw them pull off a massive coup in Indian cricket.