Watch: Saurashtra lift Ranji Trophy, beats Bengal by nine wickets in final
Saurashtra lifted their second Ranji Trophy title after beating Bengal by nine wickets in the final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, February 19.
Sharing the celebrations on Twitter, BCCI wrote:
“That winning feeling.”
bcci.tv/domestic/ranji…That Winning Feeling 🏆 😊
Congratulations to the @JUnadkat-led Saurashtra on their #RanjiTrophy title triumph 🙌 🙌 #BENvSAU | #Final | @saucricket | @mastercardindia
Scorecard 👉 bcci.tv/domestic/ranji… https://t.co/m2PQKqsPOG
In another video, BCCI shared the winning reaction from Saurashtra's teammates after Harvik Desai hit the winning boundary.
wickets in the #Final 
🏆
The reactions say it all 😊 🤗
That moment when Saurashtra began the celebrations after winning the #RanjiTrophy 2022-23! 👏 👏
The @JUnadkat-led unit beat Bengal by 9⃣ wickets in the #Final 👍 👍 #BENvSAU | @mastercardindia
Scorecard 👉 bcci.tv/domestic/ranji… https://t.co/tt8xE3eUKY
For the uninitiated, Jaydev Undakat-led Saurashtra required just 11 runs to win in their second innings.
Earlier, Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya’s clinical performance bowled out Bengal for 241 in their second innings. While Unadkat scalped six wickets, Sakariya finished with three scalps. For Bengal, captain Manoj Tiwary and Amol Majumdar scored 68 and 61 runs, respectively.
Saurashtra had posted 404 in their first innings, courtesy of half-centuries from Arpit Vasavada (81), Chirag Jani (60), Sheldon Jackson (59) and wicketkeeper-batter Harvik Desai (50).
Mukesh Kumar picked up four wickets for Bengal, with Akash Deep and Ishan Porel settling for three wickets each.
CHAMPIONS! 🏆
Saurashtra beat Bengal by nine-wickets to win Ranji Trophy 2022/23.
Captain Jaydev Unadkat leading from the front with a Man of the Match performance 👏
📸: BCCI
#RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter #India https://t.co/Gz4LNMquAW
Earlier in their first innings, Bengal were bundled out for 174 in 54.1 overs after being sent to bat first. Skipper Unadkat and Sakariya picked up three scalps each, while Chirag Jani and DA Jadeja took two wickets apiece.
Shahbaz Ahmed (69) and wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel (50) scored half-centuries for Bengal.
“I am absolutely proud of the guys for what we have been able to achieve twice in three years now” – Jaydev Unadkat on Saurashtra’s victory
Jaydev Unadkat credited the team for winning the Ranji Trophy once again after only a gap of three years. He said post-match:
“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 (the core of the team remaining the same). Lot of stability in the team. Comes with performances.”
He continued:
“Everyone has stood up when the team has required. It's not just about one or two individuals.”
Second Ranji Title in last 3 years, add to that Vijay Hazary trophy as well this year. Saurashtra has become a domestic powerhouse. Congratulations to @JUnadkat, the team and support staff 🏆🙌🏽👏🏽 #ranjitrophy https://t.co/MggYdWVFiH
Incidentally, Saurashtra beat the same team, i.e. Bengal, in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy final.