‘They told me you’re acting injured’: Rajasthan Cricket’s favorite son Ashok Menaria lands scarring blows after leading Haryana to VHT triumph | Cricket News

The last time Rajasthan won a senior men’s title was back in 2012. A second Ranji Trophy title in a row – their only wins in the tournament hory. Lifting the trophy on both occasions was Ashok Menaria. There weren’t many bigger names than the Udaipur-born southpaw back then in the Indian domestic circuit. Menaria wasn’t just Rajasthan’s skipper but had also led the Indian U-19 team at the junior World Cup in 2010.
On Saturday after Rajasthan fell short of winning their first-ever Vijay Hazare Trophy, the defeat must’ve tasted even bitter. It was their favourite son Menaria who had led Haryana to their maiden 50-overs title.
Even more scarring than his knock of 70 were his words though. Post-final, when asked what made him leave Rajasthan for Haryana ahead of the domestic season this year, Menaria conceded, “Last year, I picked up a hamstring injury. I think they (Rajasthan Cricket) should’ve taken better care of me. Par mujhe bola gya ki tu jabardasti injured ho raha hai (But I was told that I was acting injured). I’d lost trust in myself and was feeling low, but Haryana Cricket backed me and invited me to play for them.”

……..! 🏆
Say hello 👋 to the winners of the #VijayHazareTrophy 👉 Haryana 🙌🙌@IDFCFIRSTBank | #Final pic.twitter.com/N20IS3quTC
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 16, 2023
Menaria was among the two big names to have left Rajasthan this summer – Ravi Bishnoi also moved to Gujarat – and it was a departure that proved decisive in the summit clash on Saturday. Coming in to bat with Haryana two down for 41, Menaria stitched together the biggest partnership of the final – 124 – with Ankit Kumar (88 off 91) on a tough batting surface before the lower order added finishing touches to propel Haryana to 287. The new skipper, a domestic cricket veteran, had big praise for his playing XI.
“I think in India our team is maybe the only one that bats till number 11 and we have 6-7 bowling options,” Menaria boasted. “Our strategy has been to stitch partnerships in the middle overs and then hand it over to Tewatia and Sumit, who did the job today as well.”

are WINNERS of the #VijayHazareTrophy 2023-24! 🙌
Congratulations to the Ashok Menaria-led unit on winning the #VijayHazareTrophy 🏆 👏@IDFCFIRSTBank | #Final
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/0ub38RC4x8 pic.twitter.com/2wQri6HS0Y
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 16, 2023
The captain’s seal of approval was earned Haryana’s bowlers as well. There was a moment in the game when it looked like Rajasthan would run away with it. After three wickets fell with a meager 12 runs on the board, Abhijeet Tomar (106) and Kunal Singh Rathore (79) carried their side to 201. It was then that Menaria’s former U19 World Cup teammate Harshal Patel removed the two set batters and orchestrated a horic triumph for Haryana. According to the skipper though, there was no sweating within the group throughout the tense moments.
“We’ve played a lot of games under pressure, so even with challenging conditions, we were used to getting across it,” Menaria said before delivering another soft jibe at his former team. “Rajasthan, I personally felt, were largely dependent on a few batters. I know all of their players well and it came in handy.” If missing out on a first domestic trophy since 2012 didn’t hurt already, the words of the then skipper surely would’ve.