TNI Bureau: Saurashtra reached the Final of Ranji Trophy for the first time in history. The defeated favourites Punjab by 229 runs in the semifinal yesterday. The bowlers played a key role in Saurashtra’s emphatic win.
Chasing a victory target of 349, Punjab bundled out for just 119 in the second innings. Vishal Joshi took 5 wickets, while Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took 3 wickets. Jaidev Unadkat took two wickets.
Despite the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been in a superb form, which earned him a berth in the Indian team, Saurashtra scored 477 in the first innings. Sheldon Jackson (107), Jaydev Shah (87) and Kamlesh Makvana (85*) were the top scorers. Siddarth Kaul and Sarabjit Ladda took three wickets each.
Punjab had scored 299 in the first innings. Top three batsmen Jiawanjot Singh (68), Ravi Mehra (74) and Taruwar Kohli (59) batted well, but other batsmen failed to rise to the occasion. At one stage, Punjab were 195/2, but bowled out for 299. Vishal Joshi took four wickets. Unadkat took three wickets.
In the second innings, Punjab restricted Saurashtra to 170. Shitanshu Kotak (53) and Sheldon Jackson (44*) were the top scorers. Harbhajan Singh took four wickets, while Siddharth Kaul took three wickets. Vishal Joshi was declared ‘Man of the Match’ for his nine-wicket haul in the match.