Published: Jan 10, 2019, 05:11 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 10, 2019, 05:11 PM (IST)
It was just a matter of time before Saurashtra sealed their passage to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season. On the final day of their last Round 9 Elite A match against reigning champions Vidarbha, Saurashtra grabbed three points by virtue of gaining a first-innings lead as the match ended in a tame draw on Thursday.
Saurashtra, with 29 points from eight games, join Vidharba, Karnataka and Gujarat in the quarter-finals from Group A.
Resuming the day at 280/9 after conceding a first-innings lead at Rajkot, Vidarbha, adrift by 76 runs, decided to declare their first innings which effectively handed Saurashtra the three points. (ALSO READ: Jharkhand pocket bonus point versus J&K: miss qualification berth by a whisker)
Team Saurashtra enters Quarter Final of #RanjiTrophy
Match between Saurashtra vs Vidarbha played is drawn. Sau took first innings lead and got 3 points.
Vishvarajsinh Jadeja scored Ton in 2nd Innings. @JUnadkat declared MoM. This is 12th time Saurashtra enters QF @BCCIdomestic pic.twitter.com/iEfXcy8v5Y— Saurashtra Cricket (@saucricket) January 10, 2019
In their second dig, Saurashtra were 218/2 at stumps on the final day with Vishvaraj Jadeja bringing up his maiden first-class century in just his third match. Jadeja’s unbeaten 105 that came in 188 deliveries was laced with 13 boundaries and three sixes. The 20-year-old batsman had the experienced Sheldon Jackson, who was unbeaten on 53 off 118 as the duo were involved in a brilliant 108-run partnership for the third wicket.
Saurashtra lost Harvik Desai early in the start for just 8 to Suniket Bingewar. Snell Patel was looking good, but fell six runs short of his fifty after he was trapped lbw by Aditya Sarwate. (ALSO READ: In dead rubber, Mumbai beat Chhattisgarh by nine wickets to record first win)
Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat was awarded the Man of the Match for his six wickets in the first innings.
Brief scores: Saurashtra 356 & 218/2 (Vishvaraj Jadeja 105, Sheldon Jackson 53*) versus Vidarbha 280/9 declare ends in a draw
