Saurashtra lift their second Ranji Trophy title: Key stats
Saurashtra beat Bengal by nine wickets to lift the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 title on Sunday. Resuming from 169/4, Bengal were bundled out on 241, with skipper Manoj Tiwary (68) as their top-scorer. For Saurashtra, captain Jaydev Unadkat completed a sensational six-wicket haul (6/85). Chasing a paltry 12 runs, Saurashtra suffered a minor setback but eventually steered home. Here are more details.
How did the match pan out?
Saurashtra folded Bengal on 174. Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya grabbed three-fers each. In reply, Saurashtra hammered 404 and took a 230-run lead. The likes of Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, and Chirag Jani slammed half-centuries each. Bengal showed a bit of resistance but perished on 241. Tiwary and Anustup Majumdar were the only positives. Saurashtra lost Jay Gohil early but pocketed the chase (14/1).
Saurashtra claim their second Ranji title
Saurashtra began competing in the Ranji Trophy in the 1950-51 edition. They were the runners-up in 2012-13, 2015-16, in 2018-19. The wait ended as they won their maiden title in 2019-20, beating Vidarbha in the final. And now, they have won their second Ranji honor.
Vasavada leads from the front
Saurashtra's Arpit Vasavada scored a 156-ball 81, hitting 11 boundaries. He compiled 907 runs across 10 matches in Ranji Trophy 2022-23. He averaged a stellar 75.58. (100s: 3, 50s: 3). He was only the second batter besides Mayank Agarwal (990) to breach the 900-run mark in Ranji Trophy 2022-23. Vasavada, who slammed a double-ton in the semi-final, was named Player of the Tournament.
Jani and Jackson attain these numbers
Jani racked up a gritty 60 off 123 deliveries. He slammed 10 fours during his stay at the crease. He was also instrumental in a 114-run stand with Vasavada, lifting Saurashtra from 204/5 to 318/6. Jani amassed 569 runs in the tournament at 37.93 (50s: 5). Jackson hammered a 105-ball 59 (4s: 10). He aggregated 588 runs at 39.20 (100s:1, 50s: 4).
Unadkat rises to the occasion
Unadkat, who was released from India's squad for the Ranji Trophy final, bagged figures of 3/44 and 6/85. He was eventually adjudged Player of the Match. He claimed his second fifer of the tournament. He wound up with 26 wickets in four matches at 13.88. Notably, he had captained Saurashtra to their maiden title in the 2019-20 edition.
Bengal players script these numbers
Anustup Majumdar racked up 16 and 61. He concluded as Bengal's leading run-getter, hammering 867 runs at 61.92 (100s: 3, 50s: 4). Top-order batters Sudip Gharami (803) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (798) trailed Majumdar in this regard. Both struck three hundreds each in the competition. Tiwary, who slammed his sixth fifty of the season (68), tallied 473 runs at an average of 33.78.
A look at other key performers
Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took two wickets in the match. He was Saurashtra's leading wicket-taker, with 43 scalps in 10 matches at 29.60. Bengal pacer Akash Deep grabbed four scalps in the match, including a three-fer (3/111) in the first innings. He was his side's leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy 2022-23, with 41 wickets in 10 matches at 20.90 (5WI: 3).
