Jadejas help vault Saurashtra into final
Half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Arpit Vasavada, coupled with a four-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, consigned Andhra to defeat
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2018
Saurashtra 255 (Vasavada 58, Jadeja 56, Raman 4-69) beat Andhra 196 (Ravi Teja 42, Sumanth, 42, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 4-40) by 59 runs
Half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Arpit Vasavada, coupled with a four-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja propelled Saurashtra to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Andhra's dream run ended with a 59-run defeat in the semi-final in Delhi.
Chasing 256, all of Andhra's top order got starts but failed to get past the 29-run mark. Reduced to 91 for 4 inside 23 overs, middle-order batsmen B Sumanth and Dwaraka Ravi Teja kept things ticking with scores of 42 each. Having lifted the side to 150, however, Sumanth fell to Dharmendrasinh, who subsequently ran through the lower-middle order, while medium-pacer Shaurya Sanandia ended Ravi Teja's resistance. Andhra could muster only 196, bowled out in 45.3 overs.
Earlier, Andhra's decision to bowl found validation as Saurashtra lost two wickets to Duvvarapu Siva Kumar inside five overs with only 17 on the scoreboard. Captain Cheteshwar Pujara persevered for a 53-ball 17, while opener Samarth Vyas struck a 59-ball 46. The pair added stability to the innings even if not momentum, but that was provided by Jadeja and Vasavada, who struck 56 and 58 respectively at a brisk pace. Their 113-run stand hoisted Saurashtra to 182 before seamer Karthik Raman dismissed Vasavada and Jadeja was run out in the following over. Prerak Mankad, with a quickfire 40, and Kamlesh Makvana added vital lower-order runs to ensure their team got past the 250-run mark.