Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021: Best XI Of The Tournament

The new captain Prithvi Shaw combined with the new coach Ramesh Powar to clinch the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 for Mumbai over Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time. After a disastrous end to their campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy where they were knocked out in the league stage, this was a much-needed win for the side.

Mumbai did not lose a single game in the tournament and won eight out of eight games including the finals. Adithya Tare scored a magnificent century to take Mumbai home in a chase of 313 in the finals. Earlier, Madhav Kaushik played a blinder of an innings for Uttar Pradesh with 158 not out to post a good total but Mumbai came out all guns blazing and eased through the chase in the finals.

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021: Best XI Of The Tournament:

Prithvi Shaw(Mumbai):

Prithvi Shaw who was dropped from the Indian test team was named as the captain of the Mumbai team and he broke a lot of records scoring 827 runs with the bat with four centuries on the trot and a fifty. He averaged 165 with the bat with a strike rate of 138 and plundered the bowling. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with the highest score of 227 not out which is the highest individual score in Vijay Hazare Trophy history.

Devdutt Padikkal(Karnataka):

Devdutt Padikkal had an excellent season scoring 737 runs in the tournament overall at an average of 147.40 and a strike rate of 95.96. He smashed four centuries and three fifties and finished with the second-highest amount of runs in a single season in Vijay Hazare Trophy. He is certainly knocking on the doors of selectors and it is only a matter of time until he gets his maiden call up.

R Samarth (Karnataka):

Ravikumar Samarth had a breakout season with the bat at the top order for Karnataka and tormented the bowling lineups alongside Devdutt Padikkal. He finished with 613 runs at an average of 122 and a strike rate of 105. He hit three centuries and two fifties in the process with the highest score of 192 in the tournament.

Nitish Rana (Delhi):

Nitish Rana was the most consistent batsman for Delhi and helped them to reach the knockout stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 398 runs overall in the tournament at an average of 66 with one century and two fifties to his name. His knock of 137 against Mumbai was his highest score in the tournament and finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer in the tournament.

Adithya Tare (Mumbai):

Adithya Tare stepped up when it mattered the most as the former Mumbai skipper finished with an unbeaten century in the finals that took the team home in the finals against Uttar Pradesh. He scored 299 runs at an average of 74 and his 118 not out was very crucial being a senior member in the side and was deservingly awarded the player of the match in the finals.

Krunal Pandya (Baroda):

Krunal Pandya scored 388 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 with an average of 129 and also picked up five wickets for Baroda. He finished with two centuries and two fifties in the season but couldn’t lead the side into the knockouts despite battling out lonely. He certainly showed that he still can deliver for the Indian team if he is picked up again and will look to continue the form into the upcoming IPL.

Rishi Dhawan (Himachal Pradesh):

Rishi Dhawan finished as the third-highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 with 16 wickets in the four games he bowled at an average of 13.25. The all-rounder demolished the batting lineup of Rajasthan and picked up his best bowling figures in the tournament with 6 wickets for 27. He was economical throughout the campaign and would have liked to push his team to the knockouts.

Shivam Sharma(Uttar Pradesh):

Shivam Sharma played a crucial role in his team’s progress to the finals of the tournament taking 21 wickets at an average of 16.9 and an impressive economy rate of 4.6. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and his best spell of 7 wickets for 31 came against Bihar and also took a fifer against Odisha to increase his wickets tally considerably.

Dhawal Kulkarni(Mumbai):

Dhawal Kulkarni has been very consistent for Mumbai over the years and picked up 14 wickets in 6 games. He had the best average among all the bowlers with a stunning 11.78. To add to that, he bowled 10 maidens in the tournament with the best figures of 5 for 44 coming against Maharashtra. He had an impressive economy rate of just 3.72 in the tournament.

Arzan Nagwaswalla (Gujarat):

The left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 19 wickets in 7 games. He had an economy rate of 4.32 and picked up wickets at an average of 13.94. His best spell came against Chattisgarh where he bundled out the batting order with 6 wickets for 54 runs. He was one of the finds of the tournament.

Prashanth Solanki (Mumbai):

Prashanth Solanki has had an impressive start to his domestic career with 15 wickets in six games at an average of 21.46. The young leg spinner from Mumbai picked up crucial wickets for the side when needed and finished as the highest wicket-taker for the side. His best spell of five for 48 came against Pudhucherry where he broke the backbone of their side.