Jaydev Unadkat guides Saurashtra to second Ranji Trophy title
Saurashtra team with the title [Source: Twitter]
In a riveting finale of the Ranji Trophy, left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat exhibited a remarkable performance claiming nine wickets in total, including a stunning 6/85 in the second innings, leading Saurashtra to a resounding victory over Bengal by nine wickets. This triumph marks Saurashtra’s second Ranji Trophy title.
Despite conceding a substantial first innings lead of 230 runs, Bengal commenced their second innings with a relatively steady overnight score of 169/4.
However, they failed to capitalize on their position and could only manage a total of 241, thus presenting Saurashtra with a trivial target of just 12 runs to win the title.
The visitors, though, had a shaky start when their opener Jay Gohil fell for a duck. Nonetheless, the team recovered quickly and achieved the target in just 2.4 overs.
Opener Harvik Desai hit the winning runs for Saurashtra, culminating in their second consecutive title after their recent Vijay Hazare Trophy win earlier this season.
Bengal’s skipper, Manoj Tiwary demonstrated resistance with his half -century on Saturday, but the team suffered a major setback in the morning session of Day 4, losing several quick wickets.
A communication mishap between Tiwary and Shahbaz Ahmed ultimately led to the latter’s dismissal and an important 48-run partnership came to an end. In the aftermath, Unadkat claimed his 22nd First-Class five-wicket haul, restricting Bengal to a meagre total.
Saurashtra’s first Ranji title win came in the 2019-20 season, where they had defeated the same opponent in the final at their home ground in Rajkot.
Despite missing several key players this season due to national commitments, the team’s collective effort enable them to surmount difficult challenges in the league stage under the inspiring leadership of Unadkat.
It is worth noting that the Saurashtra skipper was part of the Indian squad for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he was released before the Ranji final to take part in the high-stakes encounter.
The veteran Ranji player lived up to his name, guiding his state to their second title in India’ premier domestic championship.
Brief Scores
Bengal (2nd innings): 241/10 (70.4)
Manoj Tiwary 68 (154), Anustup Majumdar 61 (101);
Jaydev Unadkat 6-85 (22.4), Chetan Sakariya 3-76 (21)
Saurashtra (2nd innings): 14/1 (2.4)
Vishvaraj Jadeja 10 (7), Harvik Desai 4 (8);
Akash Deep 1-5 (1), Mukesh Kumar 0-9 (1.4)
Saurashtra won by nine wickets.
 "Jatin")
