Gujarat defeated Saurashtra by an innings and 98 runs to qualify for the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. Be it with the bat or ball, Gujarat decimated the Jaydev Unadkat-led side in the quarter-finals at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Next up, they will play the winner of the match between Jammu and Kashmir versus Kerala.
Batting first, Saurashtra had a decent start as opener Chirag Jani made 69 runs but he had very little support from the other end. The other opener Hardik Desai made 22, while veteran India batter Chesteshwar Pujara made 26 runs. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, there were talks of Pujara’s inclusion in the Test squad, but the 37-year-old had a decent campaign this time around, scoring 402 runs in seven games.
Meanwhile, Vasavada made an unbeaten 39 runs off 79 deliveries and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja made 22 as Gujarat posted 216 runs in the first innings. In reply, Gujarat lost a few early wickets but their middle order soon took control of the situation and wreaked havoc in the middle. Batting at four, Manan Hingrajia made 83 runs while Jaymeet and Urvil Patel made 103 and 140 runs respectively.
That pushed Saurashtra out of the competition. Later, Ravi Bishnoi played a valuable knock of 45 runs off 50 deliveries as Gujarat posted 511 runs in their first innings. They secured a 295-run lead and it was a mountain to climb for Saurashtra and eventually, they failed to do so.
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Harvik managed to give the team a solid foundation, scoring 54 runs while Jani scored 26. Soon after that, wickets tremble one after the other. Pujara once again failed to live up to the expectations, scoring two runs while the other batters disappointed as well. Saurashtra ended up posting 197 runs in the second innings, losing the game by an innings and 98 runs. Priyajitsing Jadeja secured four wickets for the team in the second innings, while Arzan Nagwaswalla clinched three.
