Ravindra Jadeja ran through Delhi’s line-up in a frenetic second session as Saurashtra completed a 10-wicket win inside two days at Ground C of the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Friday.
The left-arm spinner’s figures of 12.2-1-38-7 in the second innings — he finished with 12 wickets in this Group D Ranji Trophy match — allowed Saurashtra to earn a bonus point too. It has moved to third in the group with 18 points while Delhi has slipped to fifth.
The contest was as good as over once Rishabh Pant was dismissed cheaply for the second time in the match. After making a solitary run on Thursday, he fared marginally better in the second essay. But after reaching 17, an outside edge while playing a defensive push off Jadeja carried to Sheldon Jackson at slip. That reduced Delhi to 75 for five, and it took just 35 more deliveries for the side to be shot out for 94.
It was a turning track alright, but the visiting team’s batters have a lot to mull over after losing all 10 wickets between lunch and tea on Friday. It left Saurashtra needing just 12 runs to get for a resounding win, which they achieved in 3.1 overs.
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After Arpit Vasavada helped Saurashtra grab an 83-run first-innings lead with a knock of 62, it didn’t require any cunning ploy from skipper Jaydev Unadkat to give Jadeja the new ball and let him do his thing. The star all-rounder bowled unchanged from his preferred end, and kept picking up wickets to pile the pressure on a feeble batting unit.
Joining hands at 33 for four in 10 overs, Ayush Badoni and Pant did add 42 runs for the fifth wicket to provide a semblance of stability. But once Pant went, the end was in sight. Badoni was a helpless spectator through most of the collapse before becoming the final wicket to fall when a sweep off Jadeja was caught by Sammar Gajjar at deep square leg.
A stark difference between the two teams was the quality of spinners. Besides the senior Jadeja, Saurashtra also had the ever-reliable Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, whose left-arm spin has yielded 380 scalps in 91 First Class matches. Delhi’s slow bowlers don’t have the same pedigree. Not yet anyway.
Once Jadeja was adjudged the player-of-the-match at the presentation, Delhi’s Harsh Tyagi, who did claim four wickets but at an economy of 4.18 in the first innings, went up to the India star for some advice with coach Sarandeep Singh by his side.
“I’ve played against Jadeja in 2018 when I was with Railways. So, he was making comparisons between my bowling action then and now. My body weight is going back (at the time of delivery), because of which I am not able to bowl at the pace that he does. So I was speaking to him about how I can operate at the pace at which he bowls. If not 100 per cent, at least 50-70 per cent. If I can do that, I hope it helps me in the future,” the 25-year-old left-armer said.
“The coach did suggest that I am at a stage where I should look to learn as much as possible,” he added. “This was a rare opportunity, because international players like Rishabh and Ravindra bhaiya are playing. So my thinking is to improve everyday by learning from the best.”