Image Credit- BCCI
Seamer Harshal Patel recalls entering the Jaipur
dressing room in October following Haryana’s defeat against Chhattisgarh in the
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, only to be met with eerie quiet. Everyone had gathered
together, yet not a word was said. However, Harshal detected a shift when they
parted ways.
And on Saturday, just before Haryana’s first-ever
Vijay Hazare victory, he was poised to win a title in Rajkot, his thoughts
momentarily returning to that October night. Now he’s certain that was just the
right “slap on the face” for them.
The semi-final matchup with Tamil Nadu served as an
ideal trial ground. This was their chance to demonstrate in a competitive
setting that they were not frightened or bullied by teams, as they had sworn.
The team’s research tank believed that eliminating
Tamil Nadu’s spinners would be essential to neutralising their danger. For the
majority of their innings, Haryana was able to hold them at bay. TN didn’t have
a wicket through spin until the 32nd over, when Haryana started to change
gears. Even though Varun Chakravarthy and R Sai Kishore claimed four wickets in
the end, all of their dismissals were late in the innings. Himanshu Rana’s 116
in the final over propelled Haryana to a final score of 293 for 7. It was way
above par.
Several players gave clutch efforts throughout
Haryana’s campaign. They occasionally had to stray from their original plans in
order to make room for inexperienced and younger players when seniors were not
there. After suffering a hip injury during SMAT, Mohit Sharma was sidelined for
the duration of the competition; Jayant Yadav withdrew from the first round of
matches due to family obligations; and Yuzvendra Chahal, who had already made
an impression by taking 18 wickets at an average of 14.83, was unable to play
in the semi-finals or final. Harshal had the joint-highest score of 19, which
included a three-for in the championship game.
There were further difficulties. In their fourth
league game, they were struggling against an underdog Mizoram team, falling to
1 for 3 in two overs. With 136, Rana led them out of danger and their master
finisher, Rahul Tewatia, hit an unbeaten 80 off 42 balls from No. 7 to enable
them reach 315 for 6. It turned out that Mizoram could not handle 190.
In terms of cricket specifically, Haryana isn’t nearly
the best in Indian domestic cricket, but they have made the most of what they
have in terms of skill and facilities.
Junior teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions
are now regular contenders for the championship. Additionally, some players
from the senior squad are starting to establish themselves, whether it’s for
India or the IPL. similar to Mohit, Jayant, Mishra, and Harshal and Chahal
before them. Now surely the goal must be to win championships on a regular
basis?
“Yes, titles are what is seen but honestly how we
define success is by seeing the quality of cricket we play, the kind of
principles we follow,” Harshal says. “Most of the guys are below 25,
they’re coming up from age-group cricket and wetting their feet in professional
cricket. It’s important how we set examples, the way we play whether we win or
lose. We step onto the field with the intention to win but these attributes are
important for us. If we can do that, we can consistently win titles.”