[Watch] Saurashtra all-rounder Chirag Jani takes hat-trick in Vijay Hazare Trophy final
Chirag Jani helped Saurashtra make a comeback in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final by scalping a hat-trick against Maharashtra on Friday. Saurashtra started the match with some fantastic bowling performances from their bowlers, but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. gained momentum and pressed the accelerator button after the 32nd over.
Maharashtra raced from 105/3 after 31 overs to 234/5 at the end of the 48th over. With two more overs remaining, it seemed like Maharashtra would finish with a total of around 255-260. However, medium pacer Chirag Jani took three wickets off the first three balls in the 49th over to put brakes on Maharashtra's run rate.
Jani rattled wicket-keeper Saurabh Nawale's stumps on the first ball and had Rajvardhan Hangargekar bowled out on the next delivery. Vicky Ostwal faced the hat-trick ball. Jani trapped him in front of his stumps to complete a memorable hat-trick in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 final.
You can watch Jani's heroics in the video posted by the BCCI below:
Courtesy of his hat-trick, Chirag emerged as the pick of the Saurashtra bowlers in the first innings. He ended with figures of 3/43 in his 10-over spell. Chirag's hat-trick also prevented Maharashtra from crossing the 250-run mark and they had to settle for 248/9 in their 50 overs.
Can Chirag Jani help Saurashtra win their 2nd Vijay Hazare Trophy championship?
HAT-TRICK FOR CHIRAG JANI in #VijayHazareTrophy FINAL 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/51lbRJhPNw
Jani is not only a wicket-taking pacer but is also a handy batting option. He smashed a match-winning half-century in the quarterfinal match against Tamil Nadu earlier in the competition.
Saurashtra's openers Sheldon Jackson and Harvik Desai have provided a good start to the team, adding 85 runs for the first wicket in 18.1 overs at the time of writing. It will be interesting to see if Saurashtra can win their first Vijay Hazare Trophy title since 2007/08.
You can follow the live scorecard for this match here.