There were many impressive performances that came out of the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, but it is hard to deny the impact of Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal. He was bringing up big scores with ridiculous ease and rewrote many records along the way.
Mohammad Siraj was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in the bowling department. The Hyderabad pacer was on target and regularly picked up breakthroughs for his side. Unlike Agarwal, Siraj’s displays impressed the Board of Control for Cricket in India selectors. One of the star names in the tournament, Cheteshwar Pujara, also made a couple of sturdy knocks.
Batsmen
Mayank Agarwal | Matches: 8, Runs: 723, Average: 90.37
If you want to break into the national side, you don't knock on the door, you force it open with your performances. Mayank Agarwal is doing that now.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 27, 2018
Mayank Agarwal this season across formats 13,8,31,0,0,304*,176,23,90,133*,173,134,78,15,3,55,2,10,13,86,6,9,0,77,109,84,28,102,89,140 - Could go in vain since there is no spot available in the longer format. Can make it in T20s if seniors decide to rest. #form
— Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) February 21, 2018
The Karnataka opener was far from finished, despite already stockpiling a mountain of runs in the Ranji Trophy. Agarwal’s rich vein of form continued and showed that he has multiple gears in his batting arsenal with a match-winning 90 in the final.
He finished as the top run-getter by a mile, scoring tallying close to the double of what second-placed Srikar Bharat managed. At the end of the tournament, he had scored more than 2000 runs during the season. Agarwal scripted and broke many all-time records during the course of the season, which is all the more baffling why he was ignored by the selectors for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka. From being one of the many consistent batsmen in the domestic circuit, the 27-year-old established himself as a colossus in 2017-’18.
Srikar Bharat | Matches: 8, Runs: 390, Average 55.71
The Andhra batsman was a bit of a mixed bag. Bharat started the tournament in modest fashion but came into his own in the latter stages. Against the domestic titans, the 24-year-old found his touch with scores of 82 against Tamil Nadu, an unbeaten 106 against Gujarat, and 105 against Mumbai.
Cheteshwar Pujara | Matches: 9, Runs: 383, Average: 54.71
The India Test regular also found his feet, but once again, one can’t help but think if Pujara can ever cement a place in limited-overs cricket. His 383 runs came at a measly strike rate of 66.14. However, he did manage to give a good account of himself, especially in the final where he recovered after a slow start. With the Saurashtra batsmen tumbling like nine pins around him, Pujara led a valiant fight, but in vain.
Hanuma Vihari |Matches: 8, Runs: 378, Average: 54
The Andhra player made an impact with the bat and ball. His brutal essay of 169 against Mumbai, which set up a crucial win for his side in a high-scoring contest, was undoubtedly his best knock of the tournament.
Siddhesh Lad | Matches: 6, Runs: 373, Average 62.16
Siddhesh Lad’s memorable season continued in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too, cracking three centuries, which was as many as the Bradman-esque Agarwal brought up. Like his Karnataka counterpart, Lad’s performances would not have gone unnoticed by the national selectors.
Bowlers
Mohammad Siraj | Matches: 7, Wickets: 23, Average: 15.65
All the doubters of Mohammad Siraj need to pay attention to the pacer’s displays in Vijay Hazare trophy, which included two five-wicket hauls and a tally of 23 wickets. The Hyderabad pacer was rewarded with yet another call-up to India’s Twenty20 International side. However, Siraj will need to watch his lengths as he was on the expensive side once again. He was picked apart by the Vidarbha batsmen during his side’s massive 237-run loss.
Prasidh Krishna | Matches: 8, Wickets: 17, Average: 16.52
This is his breakthrough season and the 22-year-old medium-pacer didn’t look out of place amongst some of the heavyweight names from his Karnataka side. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker, finishing with 17 wickets, which included a six-wicket and a four-wicket haul.
Umar Nazir | Matches: 5, Wickets: 15, Average: 17.26
Jammu and Kashmir’s Umar Nazir, despite playing just five games, left an impact. The medium-pacer also picked up a five-wicket haul. The 24-year-old was also on the expensive side for a couple of matches but managed to bring up a five-wicket haul against Hyderabad.
