Saurashtra won the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 after beating Maharashtra in the final by 5 wickets. They chased down 249 after Sheldon Jackson scored a hundred. Earlier, Chirag Jani bagged a hat-trick while Ruturaj Gaikwad also scored a ton.
WHO SAID WHAT?
Jaydev Unadkat | Saurashtra captain: Unbelievable feeling. Yet to sink in that we are the champions. When you get one (domestic) title, it feels good but to do it second time shows that you are a champion side. I’ve been looking to set the tone but it’s not about one guy at all. We need people to step up at different times and that’s what we have got. We have match-winners and credit goes to all of them. Special mention to Sheldon for the way he batted today. Wasn’t in form but the way he batted today shows that he belongs to this level and also the highest level. Chirag Jani has been excellent and if there is one player in the side who deserves to play at the highest level, it’s him. There is a great camaraderie in our team and that’s really good for us. Credit to Rutu for the way he batted and the way their team played. Winning a domestic trophy is never easy, I know it after being here for a decade. So a lot of credit to the entire team and support staff.
Ruturaj Gaikwad | Player of the Series: I think it was important for me to get back well from injury. Had to lead from the front, being a senior player and being an experienced player. Had to deliver on the big stage. I’m just trying to enjoy the game and stay in the present. Looking to give good starts and then convert them into big hundreds. Just trying to become as consistent as possible. The kind of bowling they had, and the lines/lengths they bowled, it was challenging and I was enjoying it. Had to make sure that I’m staying calm. There was a lot of difference in the pitch during the second innings. If we got the same conditions, things could have been different. After 25 overs of our innings, the pitch eased out but we were always behind the game due to that start. We could have got to 300 or 320-330 if the surface was better from the start.
Sheldon Jackson | Player of the Match: I’m grateful that I came back to form at the right time. Credit to the entire team and management for backing me, because I was failing all tournament and didn’t actually deserve to get a chance today. So credit to those who backed me. Yes, experience counts, but what’s the point if you aren’t scoring runs. Plan was not to lose wickets upfront.
Ruturaj Gaikwad | Maharashtra captain: Obviously, toss played a huge factor as we were always behind in the game. It was a 70-30 advantage with the toss but credit to the Saurashtra bowlers, they bowled really well. Still, 248 in the first innings was a good total. You can lose wickets upfront sometimes on these pitches but I’m proud of the my team for today and all through the tournament. We have a young team, many players are playing their first final and hopefully they will all learn from this.
