OTD| Himachal Pradesh won their first title in Indian Domestic Cricket in 2021

On this day in 2021 Himachal Pradesh scripted history as they won their first title in domestic cricket. Himachal won the Vijay Hazare Trophy by defeating Tamil Nadu in the final at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. 

Strong Batting Display from Tamil Nadu

Rishi Dhawan, the Himachal Pradesh captain, won the toss and put Tamil Nadu to bat first. The fast-bowling unit of Himachal did not let Tamil Nadu settle in the final and picked up 4 wickets even before the opposition could add 50 runs on the board. For Tamil Nadu, Dinesh Karthik and Baba Indrajith course corrected and took the charge after initial blows. The duo built a 202-run partnership to rescue their team from the adverse situation. With the help of quick cameos from Shahrukh Khan and Vijay Shankar, Tamil Nadu made 314 runs and staked a strong claim on the title. 

A Cruising Victory for Himachal Pradesh

Similar to Tamil Nadu, Himachal also lost wickets in early overs but it was Shubhman Arora who was determined to wade through any difficulty in making his team the Vijay Hazare Champions. Arora’s partnership with the middle order batter Amit Kumar created pressure on Tamil Nadu bowlers. These two batted cautiously but without comprising the strike rate and by the time Amit Kumar was dismissed Himachal’s run chase had stabilized.

In the last phase, the skipper Dhawan played a crucial knock and assisted Arora in crossing the final hurdle. Due to bad light, the match was stopped before Himachal could complete the chase. They needed 16 runs off 15 deliveries when bad light caused the play to stop but Himachal Pradesh was declared the champions via the VJD method.

It was a huge milestone for Himachal cricket as they established their dominance in the domestic circuit for the first time. Shubham Arora was adjudged the player of the match for his outstanding century that carried his team to a famous win.