Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023: Haryana and Rajasthan to fight it out for title after defying expectations

With both sides unbeaten in the tournament, Haryana and Rajasthan’s horizons will converge in a clash of equals.

Rajasthan captain Deepak Hooda rose to the occasion with a breathtaking 180 against Karnataka on Thursday to steer Rajasthan’s flailing chase. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/THE HINDU

About a week ago, a final between Haryana and Rajasthan, with no limited-overs titles to show for between them, would have seemed a distant possibility. After they set up semifinal contests with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, who have clinched a combined 14 white-ball titles, that prospect would have only dimmed.

But after defying expectations and flipping the script with hard-fought wins in the semifinals, neighbours Haryana and Rajasthan will lock horns in the title clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Saturday.

With both sides unbeaten in the tournament, Haryana and Rajasthan’s horizons will converge in a clash of equals. A swap in allegiances will also add much-needed spice and intrigue to the finale of a competition being held under the shadow of a frenetic international calendar and India’s World Cup final defeat.

Ashok Menaria, who captained Rajasthan until this year in the Ranji Trophy and plied his trade for his state for almost 15 years, is leading Haryana’s charge this season. Meanwhile, Hooda, born in Haryana’s Rohtak, is helming Rajasthan’s bid to make it to its first 50-over final since the 2006-07 season, when the tournament was dubbed the Ranji One-Day Trophy. 

Haryana captain Ashok Menaria will be in action against Rajasthan, a side he served for almost 15 years. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/THE HINDU

Both leaders will be tasked with shepherding an inexperienced middle-order. While Hooda rose to the occasion with a breathtaking 180 against Karnataka on Thursday to steer Rajasthan’s flailing chase, Menaria will have to do better than his 143 runs in eight innings in the campaign so far. However, the fight shown by 19-year-old opener Yuvraj Singh, Himanshu Rana and pinch-hitter Sumit Kumar against Tamil Nadu bodes well.

With all-rounder Rahul Tewatia in top form and Harshal Patel, the only one in the team with international experience since Yuzvendra Chahal’s departure to South Africa, among wickets, Haryana will have reason to believe.

Though Rajasthan has more players with international gametime – Hooda, Khaleel Ahmed and Rahul Chahar – journeyman Aniket Choudhary, Arafat Khan and left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh have also added teeth to the bowling. 

On the batting front, Hooda will hope for 19-year-old Karan Lamba, who showed maturity during their 255-run association in the semifinal, and Mahipal Lomror to deliver.

The new ball has troubled batters on this pitch, which has eased out progressively. With well-rounded bowling attacks on both sides, resilience with the bat at the top and switching gears in the middle overs, particularly against spinners, could be pivotal.