Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22: Best XI of the tournament

The 2021 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy came concluded on December 26 (Sunday) after Himachal Pradesh defeated Tamil Nadu in the final by 11 runs. It is their first domestic title, and no other team deserved it more than them because of the way they dominated the other teams in the tournament. The match result was decided through the VJD method as the play stopped due to bad light at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Earlier, Tamil Nadu made 314 runs courtesy of two brilliant knocks by Dinesh Karthik and Baba Indrajith. Karthik slammed 116 runs off 103 balls, and Indrajith made 80 runs. For HP, Shubham Arora made an unbeaten 136 to guide his team to a victory by 11 runs. The tournament witnessed several players putting up stunning performances. Some of them were consistent enough throughout the competition and have made it to the Best XI of this edition. Here is the best XI of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 edition: 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Maharashtra) Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo Source: Disney + Hotstar) Ruturaj Gaikwad completed his dominant run in domestic cricket with the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He made 603 runs in just five matches at an unbelievable average of 150.75 and a strike rate of 112.92. Ruturaj slammed four centuries in the tournament. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he had scored 259 runs at an average of 51.80 and a strike rate of 149.71. We all are aware of the damage he had done in the 2021 edition of the IPL where he ended up winning the orange cap after hitting the most number of runs and helping Chennai Super Kings lift the trophy for the fourth time. In the VHT, he was the leading run-scorer and justified why he was retained by the CSK franchise for the upcoming edition of the IPL. Also, his successful run in the tournament might help him find a position in the ODI squad for the South Africa tour next month. 2. Prashant Chopra (Himachal Pradesh) Prashant Chopra. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) Prashant Chopra scored 456 runs for Himachal Pradesh at an average of 57 and a strike rate of 73.31 this season. The opener had a great season along with his partner Shubham Arora who also made over 300 runs in the tournament. Chopra’s highest score came against Uttar Pradesh during the first quarter-final. He made 99 runs and helped the team win the match by five wickets. Chopra was the second-highest run-scorer for his team after Rishi Dhawan, who scored just two more runs than him. His run-scoring abilities might get him another deal during the upcoming IPL 2022 mega auction. Chopra was drafted into the Rajasthan Royals team in 2018. But, he didn’t get much chance to showcase his skills. 3. KS Bharat (wicketkeeper) (Andhra) KS Bharat. (photo source: IPL/BCCI) KS Bharat played a brilliant cameo for the Indian team during the first Test against New Zealand. He was asked to keep the wickets in the absence of Wriddhiman Saha. Bharat showed why he is regarded as one of the safest pair of hands behind the stumps in the domestic circuit. He was dropped from the team for South Africa tour and it came as a blessing in disguise for the 28-year-old wicketkeeper. Bharat went on to score 370 runs in five matches for Andhra Pradesh at an average of 92.50 and a strike rate of 108.18, which included two centuries. He was the leading run-scorer of his team. He completed a total of 13 dismissals including two stumpings in the tournament, which was again the most by any wicketkeeper. Bharat was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team during the last edition and he hit the last ball six against the Delhi Capitals to grant a victory to Virat Kohli’s led side while also faring well at number three for the team. 4. Prerak Mankad (Saurashtra) Prerak Mankad. (Photo Source: Twitter) Prerak Mankad had an excellent tournament with both the bat and the ball. He made 376 runs in seven matches at an average of 94 and a strike rate of 114.98. Mankad hit one century and two half-centuries in the tournament. He also picked five wickets for Saurashtra. Mankad’s only century came against Jharkhand in a group game. While chasing a mere target of 212 runs, Saurashtra lost two wickets for 60 runs in 12 overs. Mankad smashed 106 runs off 72 balls and helped the team reach the target in just 34.4 overs. In the quarter-final against Vidarbha, Mankad again rescued his team from a position of 3/35 and scored 77 runs. With the ball, he picked up 4/54 in his 10 overs against Hyderabad. His spell allowed Saurashtra to restrict the opponent for 221 runs. He mustered 49 runs off 50 balls and helped the team win by seven wickets. 5. Venkatesh Iyer (Madhya Pradesh) Venkatesh Iyer. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Those 10 innings for Kolkata Knight Riders has made Venkatesh Iyer a household name. In the past couple of months, the southpaw made his debut for the Indian team. Also, he was on KKR’s list of retained players for the upcoming season. Iyer made 379 runs in six matches at an average of 63.16 and a strike rate of 133.92. He hit two centuries and one half-century in the tournament. The all-rounder also picked nine wickets at an average of 30.66, an economy of 5.75, and a strike rate of 32. His best batting performance came against Chandigarh in a group game. He made 151 runs off 113 balls and helped MP post a total of 331 runs in 50 overs. Iyer also picked two wickets in ten overs while giving away 64 runs. 6. Rinku Singh (Uttar Pradesh) Rinku Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter/Indian Domestic Cricket Forum) Rinku Singh ended his VHT journey this year as the leading run-scorer for Uttar Pradesh. He made 379 runs in seven matches at an average of 94.75 and a strike rate of 89.17. Rinku hit one century and four half-centuries in the tournament. The 24-year-old’s highest score came against Jharkhand in a group match. He made 104 runs off 98 deliveries and helped the team post a total of 239 runs in 50 overs. Unfortunately, his innings was not enough as Jharkhand won the match by eight wickets. Rinku joined KKR in 2017 when the team picked him for INR 80 lakhs. He made 77 runs for the franchise in 11 matches and was released this year. With the addition of two new teams and one being from his own state, his chances of getting another run in the cash-rich league have increased. 7. Rishi Dhawan (captain) (Himachal Pradesh) Rishi Dhawan. (Photo Source: Instagram) HP won the VHT 2021 under the leadership of Rishi Dhawan and hence, he is also the captain of this XI. Rishi led his state team right from the front and finished as both the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker. Rishi made 458 runs in eight matches at an average of 76.33 and a strike rate of 127.22. His job was to finish the games for HP, which he did perfectly. Rishi made five half-centuries in this edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy. His highest score of 91 runs came against Odisha as he helped the team post a total of 360 runs in 50 overs. With the ball, Rishi picked 17 wickets at an average of 23.35, an economy of six, and a strike rate of 23.3. He even picked a four-wicket haul against Services in the semi-final. 8. Washington Sundar (Tamil Nadu) Washington Sundar. (Photo Source: BCCI) Washington Sundar picked 16 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.93, an economy of 4.77, and a strike rate of 22.5 this season. His economical bowling helped Tamil Nadu reach the final of the tournament. In the semi-final against Saurashtra, he made 70 runs off 61 deliveries and helped Tamil Nadu win the match by two wickets. Sundar missed the T20 World Cup 2021 after sustaining a finger injury. He couldn’t participate in the UAE leg of IPL as well. It was important for him to perform well in this tournament to stay in contention for the Indian and he did exactly that. Sundar has announced his arrival through his performance in VHT and might again be picked in the Indian team. 9. Ragupathy Silambarasan (Tamil Nadu) Ragupathy Silambarasan. (Photo Source: Instagram) Ragupathy Silambarasan made his List A debut during the last edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He finished this season as the second-highest wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu. Silambarasan picked 15 wickets in seven matches at an average of 16.60, an economy of 4.77, and a strike rate of 20.8. He picked a four-wicket haul twice in the tournament against Karnataka and Bengal. His best spell was of 4/28 against Bengal which helped TN win the match by 146 runs. During the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2021, Silambarasan picked nine wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.11. 10. Shivam Mavi (Uttar Pradesh) Shivam Mavi. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Shivam Mavi picked 15 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.2, an economy of 4.38, and a strike rate of 23.5 in VHT this season. He finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker for Uttar Pradesh. Mavi picked a four-wicket haul twice against Delhi and Saurashtra. His bowling spell of 4/26 against Saurashtra was his best in the tournament. Mavi was an integral part of KKR’s bowling lineup until the last edition of the IPL. He even opened the bowling for the franchise on several occasions. He might be one of the players from this list who can start a bidding war in the IPL 2022 auction. 11. Yash Thakur (Vidarbha) Yash Thakur. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images) Yash Thakur finished the VHT as the leading wicket-taker. He took 18 wickets in seven matches at an average of 20, an economy of 5.72, and a strike rate of 20.9. Thakur was one of the two bowlers to pick both four-wicket and five-wicket hauls in the tournament. His best bowling efforts came against Himachal Pradesh in a group game. Thakur picked five wickets in nine overs while giving away 53 runs. His spell even consisted of a maiden over. Thakur, who made his List A debut in 2017 has played 27 matches. He has taken 44 wickets at an average of 23.04, an economy of 4.99, and a strike rate of 27.7.

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Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22: Best XI of the tournament

Himachal Pradesh defeated Tamil Nadu in the final by 11 runs.

11. Yash Thakur (Vidarbha)

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