Haryana beat Rajasthan in the final to lift their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy

Haryana registered a 30-run victory against Rajasthan in the summit clash of the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy to win the title for the first time, on Saturday, December 16. It is one of the greatest campaigns in Indian domestic cricket history as they remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot hosted the final of VHT 2023. Haryana captain Ashok Menaria won the toss and opted to bat first in the all-important clash.

They lost an early wicket in the second over as opener Yuvraj Singh departed for 1 (7). His partner Ankit Kumar anchored the innings with a steady knock of 88 (91) and laid a decent platform for his side.

Ashok Menaria (70) supported him well in the middle-order with a fluent half-century. The duo stitched a 124-run partnership for the third wicket. Just as they looked well set at the crease, Aniket Choudhary dismissed Ankit Kumar in the 35th over to give a timely breakthrough to Rajasthan.

Nishant Sindhu (29), Rahul Tewatia (24), and Sumit Kumar (28) chipped in with cameos in the final phase of the innings to take Haryana to 287/8 in 50 overs. Aniket Choudhary scalped four wickets, while Arafat Khan picked up two wickets for Rajasthan in the bowling department.

Khaleel Ahmed, who has represented India in the past, conceded 57 runs in his 9-over spell and ended up wicketless.

In response, Rajasthan got off to a disastrous start as they slumped to 12/3 in 5.1 overs. Their captain, Deepak Hooda, who played a majestic knock of 180 (128) in the semi-final, got out for a golden duck in the final. Opener Abhijeet Tomar (106) fought valiantly and hit a fighting century to keep Rajasthan in the hunt.

Wicket-keeper batter Kunal Singh Rathore (79) assisted him in the cause with a counter-attacking half-century. But veteran pacer Harshal Patel rose to the occasion and dismissed both the dangerous batters to put Haryana in the driver's seat.

Things went south for Rajasthan after the duo's departure as they bundled out for 257 in 48 overs and lost the championship match by 30 runs.

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Haryana pacer Sumit Kumar bags the Player of the Match award in the VHT 2023 final against Rajasthan

Right-arm pacer Sumit Kumar played a key role in Haryana's victory in the final with his triple strikes in the powerplay. He destroyed Rajasthan's top order by dismissing Ram Mohan Chouhan, Mahipal Lomror, and Deepak Hooda early to pave the way for victory of his side.

The Haryana seamer rightfully received the Player of the Match award for his incisive opening spell. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he reflected on the win:

"It is a very good feeling. I am not able to express it in words. It is our first title, so it's an amazing feeling. I try to score under any situation when I go out to bat. I wanted to bowl in good areas, keep it simple, and use the conditions."

He added:

"There was assistance from the surface early on, and I was able to bowl consistently in good areas. No particular plan for Hooda, I only tried to bowl wicket-to-wicket. I try to give my 100 percent whenever I play."

With this effort, Sumit has not only led his team to the trophy in the premier List A tournament of the country but has put himself on the radar of selectors also.