Jaydev Unadkat guides Saurashtra to 2022/23 Ranji Trophy title, beat Bengal by 9 wickets in finals
Saurashtra claim second Ranji Trophy title, beat Bengal by 9 wickets in finals
Led by the experienced Jaydev Unadkat’s match-winning performance, Saurashtra defeated Bengal by nine wickets to win their second Ranji Trophy title in the past three seasons on Sunday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing a mere 12 runs for the win, Saurashtra lost just one wicket in opener Jay Gohil before finishing the job inside the third over.
Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, Saurashtra had Bengal on the mat early on by picking five wickets for 35 runs inside the first session. Two left-armers Chetan Sakariya and captain Unadkat shared four wickets among each other before all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and keeper-batter Abishek Porel scored respective fifties and helped Bengal cross the 150-run mark. Upon getting dismissed on 174 in the first innings, Bengal knew they had a mountain to climb if they were to think of winning the final.
Saurashtra, in their first innings took a massive 230-run lead with four of their batters completing half centuries. Bengal looked more composed in their second innings that saw Anustup Majumdar and skipper Manoj Tiwari hitting 61 and 68, respectively.
However, they didn’t get much support from the other end as Saurashtra skipper Jayden Unadkat produced a stunning show and picked up six wickets for 85, dismissing Bengal on 241.It was about time before Saurashtra clinched the win with nine wickets and lifted the coveted Ranji Trophy. They had earlier won the Vijay Hazare trophy as well.
Following the win, captain Unadkat revealed what inspired the side to take down Bengal in the Ranji final. "Championships are not won by one or 2-3 games. It's a long season. It began when we started the white ball season. We didn't win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but we were able to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VH). When we got together for the Ranji Trophy there was one huddle before the start of the season,” Unadkat said.
"I told them yes we have won VH but the big one (Ranji) is waiting for us, if you want to win that we have to work really hard and I am absolutely proud of the guys for what we have been able to achieve twice in three years now. That is the secret of our success I would say (core of the team remaining the same). Lot of stability in the team. Comes with performances," said Saurashtra captain Unadkat.
