Saurashtra defeated Maharashtra by five wickets on Friday, December 2, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, to win their second Vijay Hazare Trophy title.
Throughout the entire season, the Ranji Trophy champions displayed impressive play. After limiting Maharashtra to 248/9, Sheldon Jackson’s outstanding unbeaten 133 helped them easily reach their goal.
Throughout this Vijay Hazare Trophy season, a number of individual performances by teams have piqued everyone’s interest. Some of the players even broke a lot of fun records, making their names part of the tournament’s long history.
In light of this, we select our best-playing XI from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 that just finished.
Openers – Narayan Jagadeesan (wk) and B Sai Sudharsan
It should come as no surprise that Narayan Jagadeesan (wk) and B Sai Sudharsan will serve as openers. Narayan Jagadeesan and B Sai Sudharsan, from Tamil Nadu, will reprise their respective roles for the best XI as well.
They helped Tamil Nadu reach the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals in 2022 and broke numerous records along the way.
The left-handed opening partner made 610 runs at a strike rate of 111.92, scoring three hundred and two fifties, while Jagadeesan scored the most runs with 830, including a record-breaking five centuries in a row.
Five organizations of more than 150, including stands of 233, 276, and 416, tell you precisely why the pair strolls in as the initial mix in the XI.
Middle order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ankit Bawne, and Azim Kazi
The middle order is all Maharashtra, and their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is the star. He was the opener in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022, but since Jagadeesan and Sai Sudharsan were the openers, the Chennai Super Kings opener is ranked No.3.
His dream season featured three centuries in the knockout stages, including a double-hundred in the quarterfinals with seven sixes off an over. Ankit Bawne, a member of his senior team, scored 587 runs, including two centuries and two fifties, at an average of 83.85 and a strike rate of 101.55.
One of their standout performers was the left-handed Azim Kazi, who scored 421 runs at a stunning strike rate of 127.19. His strike rate suggests that he brings the necessary aggression to this lineup, as he consistently delivered numerous knocks with significant impact.
All-rounders – Riyan Parag and Swarupam Purkayastha
Riyan Parag and Swarupam Purkayastha, both all-rounders, saved Assam every time they were under pressure during the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The batter for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) scored 552 runs at an average of 69.00 and a strike rate of 123.21, including a blistering 174 against Jammu and Kashmir in the quarterfinals. With his off-spinners, Parag also took 10 wickets.
For Assam, the more experienced Swarupam Purkayastha performed admirably in the lower middle order. The off-spinning all-rounder scored 288 runs, including an unbeaten 112 in a historic victory over Karnataka. In the semifinals, his 95 runs almost got them past Maharashtra.
Bowlers – Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat (c), Vasuki Koushik, and Kuldeep Sen
Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Vasuki Koushik, Kuldeep Sen, and Jaydev Unadkat (c) were the bowlers. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took 15 wickets at an economy rate of 3.82 and an average of 21.80.
That, along with Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat’s tournament-high 19 wickets, helped Saurashtra win the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022.
Karnataka seamer Vasuki Koushik came next just to Unadkat with 18 wickets from nine games. Koushik’s barely believable economy rate of 2.70 indicates that he simply could not sit out of this team, even though his teammate Vidwath Kaverappa was also close to making the XI.
This XI is completed by Kuldeep Sen, who brings the pace factor. He had a stellar Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign for Madhya Pradesh, taking 18 wickets in six games. He had a bowling strike rate of 14.2. He is currently accompanying the Indian ODI team in Bangladesh.