Vijay Hazare Trophy: The men who shone
MUMBAI: Karnataka lifted the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru after defeating Tamil Nadu by VJD method in a rain-marred final on Friday. The country’s best domestic talent was on display in the month-long one-day tournament that started September 24, allowing selectors a good look at the talent pool. Some players announced their arrival here; a few established players bounced back into India reckoning while KL Rahul regained confidence after being dropped from the Test team. HT takes a look:
SANJU SAMSON
Four years since his T20I debut, Samson finds himself back in the national setup after working on his consistency. Samson was 19 when he played against Zimbabwe in an India side without several regular players. But he soon dropped from the radar due to inconsistencies in the domestic circuit. Now the wicketkeeperbatsman has made his way back into the T20 side for the Bangladesh series after a successful run in Vijay Hazare where he amassed 410 runs at 58.57 with one century and a half-century. He also scored the highest individual score in tournament history—212 not out against Goa.
SHIVAM DUBE
Ignoring Dube’s domestic numbers would be a crime. With the bat, the 26-year-old averages 48.19 in first-class, 43.85 in List A and 18.61 in the shortest format. With the ball, the lanky right-arm medium bowler could be more than a handful. And he has done all this in just two years since debut. With India looking for more batting options across formats, there would not have been a better time to pick the Mumbai all-rounder for the Bangladesh T20I series. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he clobbered a 67-ball 118 (7x4s, 10x6s) against Karnataka.
KL RAHUL
Not just form, Rahul was also battling to find a correct batting stance after he was dropped from the India side. But Rahul made good use of Vijay Hazare Trophy, anchoring Karnataka’s title win with 598 runs in 11 matches at 66.44, scoring five half-centuries and a century along the way to be the tournament’s third-highest run scorer. He also kept wickets, making him an option again for the wicketkeeper-batsman’s role in limited overs’ format.
BABA APARAJITH
The Tamil Nadu batting allrounder had a very successful stint at No 3, finishing fourth in the batting list with 598 runs in 12 matches at 66.44, with one century and six half-centuries. Perhaps the best game in the tournament for the 25-year-old was against Railways where he returned figures of 10-1-30-4 and scored a 124-ball 111.
DEVDUTT PADIKKAL
Having made his List A debut for Karnataka this Vijay Hazare Trophy, Devdutt Padikkal has been rewarded almost instantly with a spot in the Deodhar Trophy squad. The 19-year-old opening batsman finished as the highest run-scorer in Vijay Hazare with 609 runs, including back-to-back centuries against Saurashtra and Goa, in 11 matches at an average of 67.77. Padikkal had shone in the U-19 Asia Cup last year, scoring 183 runs in four matches, including a century against the UAE. He was also making the right noises with Bellary Tuskers in the Karnataka Premier League, prompting Royal Challengers Bangalore to buy him for the 2019 season.
ROOSH KALARIA
He has been a consistent performer for Gujarat ever since he made his first-class debut in 2012. The 26-year-old left-arm seamer picked up 21 wickets in 11 matches, becoming the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Kalaria has been effective with the new ball as well as at the death. Equally noteworthy is his tournament economy rate of 3.95. Kalaria was also the highest wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy.
YASHASVI JAISWAL
The young opener proved why he is spoken of so highly in Mumbai’s cricket circles, slamming 564 runs, prompting selectors to pick him for the Deodhar Trophy. That he was one of the top five scorers of this Vijay Hazare Trophy despite playing just six matches—five fewer than topper Padikkal—speaks of his big-scoring ability. After scoring 113 against Goa and 122 against Kerala, Jaiswal piled up a 203 against Jharkhand to become the youngest batsman ever to score a double century in List A cricket.