Saurashtra’s lower-order, led by Prerak Mankad and Ravindra Jadeja, rose to the occasion, while left-arm spinners Dharmendra Jadeja and Parth Bhut outshone their more celebrated senior to script a crushing 194-run win over Punjab and keep the home side’s Ranji Trophy campaign alive.
Powered by a remarkable 211 runs added by the last five wickets on a turning track, Saurashtra set Punjab a daunting target of 320 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium ‘C’ ground.
The visitors then capitulated for the second time in as many days, folding up for 125 against the accurate spin of Dharmendra (five for 55) and Bhut (five for eight). The match ended with 25 minutes to spare on the second day.
Saurashtra’s Dharmendra Jadeja.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
Resuming the morning at 24 for three in its second innings, nightwatcher Dharmendra and Vasavada, playing his 100th First Class match, negotiated the first hour before both perished in quick succession.
At 75 for five, Punjab sensed an opening. However, Prerak and Jadeja turned the game on its head with a counter-attacking 92-run stand off just 73 balls. While Jadeja (46, 44b, 4×4) rotated the strike with ease, Prerak (56, 41b, 10×4) found gaps at will. His three fours in a Harpreet Brar over — a sweep followed by two reverse-sweeps — underlined the shift in momentum.
Even after the stand was broken, useful contributions from Hetvik Kotak, Parth Bhut and captain Jaydev Unadkat swelled the lead beyond Punjab’s reach.
Punjab’s response with the bat lacked composure. Apart from Uday Saharan, none of the visitors showed the patience required on a wearing surface. The pitch was far from unplayable; yet Punjab’s batters repeatedly fell to ill-judged sweep shots. Half the side — including opener Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shubman Gill — were either bowled or trapped lbw after missing the horizontal-bat shot.
Gill’s dismissal on the stroke of tea triggered a rapid collapse. Dharmendra and Bhut then ran through the lower-order, claiming six wickets for just 15 runs, to seal an emphatic victory for Saurashtra.
The scores: Saurashtra – 1st innings: 172.
Punjab – 1st innings: 139.
Saurashtra – 2nd innings: Harvik Desai c Anmolpreet b Harpreet 6, Chirag Jani c Harnoor b Harpreet 5, Dharmendra Jadeja b Harpreet 27, Jay Gohil b Jass 8, Arpit Vasavada c Sanvir b Jass 23, Ravindra Jadeja lbw b Jass 46, Prerak Mankad 56, Sammar Gajjar b Dutta 17, Hetvik Kotak b Dutta 39, Parth Bhut (not out) 37, Jaydev Unadkat c Anmolpreet b Harpreet 14; Total (in 58.5 overs): 286.
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-15, 3-24, 4-69, 5-75, 6-167, 7-191, 8-193, 9-247.
Punjab bowling: Harpreet 25.5-2-104-5, Dutta 15-1-86-2, Jass 16-2-84-3, Wadhera 2-0-4-0.
Punjab – 2nd innings: Harnoor Singh c Harvik b Dharmendra 18, Prabhsimran Singh b Dharmendra 17, Uday Saharan st. (sub) b Bhut 31, Shubman Gill lbw b Bhut 14, Nehal Wadhera c Vasavada b Bhut 8, Anmolpreet Singh 1, Krish Bhagat (not out) 17, Sanvir Singh c Unadkat b Bhut 0, Harpreet Brar b Bhut 0, Prerit Dutta c Vasavada b Dharmendra 7, Jass Inder c Jadeja b Dharmendra 12; Total (in 39 overs): 125.
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-48, 3-78, 4-86, 5-87, 6-91, 7-91, 8-91, 9-113.
Saurashtra bowling: Unadkat 2-0-9-0, Jadeja 10-0-41-0, Dharmendra 15-3-55-5, Bhut 10-4-8-5, Gajjar 2-0-12-0.
