Jaydev Unadkat's historic feat steers Saurashtra into Ranji Trophy final
Jaydev Unadkat entered the record books on Wednesday after becoming the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in a Ranji Trophy season. Having scalped 65 wickets, the left-arm seamer overtook Karnataka's Dodda Ganesh who had taken 62 wickets in the 1998-99 season of the prestigious domestic tournament. Unadkat's 10/142 propelled Saurashtra to a 92-run victory over Gujarat in the semi-final. Here is more.
How did the match pan out?
Sheldon Jackson scored a ton as Saurashtra posted 304 in their first innings after Gujarat's captain Parthiv Patel put them to bat. Saurashtra gained a lead of 52 runs with Gujarat settling for 252. Arpit Vasavada scored 139 in the second innings as Saurashtra set Gujarat a 327-run target. Captain Jaydev Unadkat took seven wickets as Gujarat fell short of 92 runs.
Another milestone for Unadkat?
Unadkat is overall second in the list of bowlers with the most number of wickets in a single Ranji Trophy edition. The tally is led by Bihar's Ashutosh Aman who snapped up 68 wickets in 2018-19 season and overtook the Indian legend Bishan Singh Bedi. Now, Unadkat is four wickets shy of breaking this record with Saurashtra securing a place in the final.
Saurashtra and Bengal to lock horns in the final
Unadkat is enjoying a dream season, having taken 65 wickets in 9 matches which include 7 five-fors and 3 four-fers. Saurashtra will face Bengal in the grand finale on March 9 at Rajkot. Bengal thrashed Karnataka by 174 runs to enter their first Ranji Trophy final in 13 years. Notably, Saurashtra had lost last year's final to Vidarbha by 78 runs.
