AHMEDABAD: 2007-08 was a remarkable season for Saurashtra cricket. The little known team, that played in the Plate division three years ago and was never considered a force to reckon with, has finally come of the age.
It surprised everyone with a phenomenal show in the longer format of the game earlier this year. In Ranji Trophy, Saurashtra defeated Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka, while drew its matches against Mumbai, Delhi and Tamil Nadu to reach the last four stage. In the semifinals, they lost to Mohammad Kaif’s Uttar Pradesh.
On Thursday, going one step further, a relatively junior side, under the leadership of Jaydev Shah, created history by lifting the Vijay Hazare One-day trophy after beating Bengal by six wickets at Visakhapatanam.
Riding on Jayesh Odedera’s (4/16) sensational bowling performance, Saurashtra restricted the strong Bengal side to a mere 87. Left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhruv (3/23) provided excellent support. Chasing the modest target was never difficult as they wrapped up the match losing only four wickets.
Interestingly, the team without any superstar, banked completely on its youth brigade during the entire tournament. In the zonal competition (Ramakant Desai championship), Saurashtra edged out Baroda and Maharashtra to qualify for the elimination round at Andhra Pradesh. In knockouts, Shah & Co defeated Karnataka in the quarters.
The young team then followed it up with a comprehensive 5-wicket victory over Vidarbha in the semis before taming the mighty Bengal in the title match.
Shah proved his mettle by leading from the front.
The Saurashtra captain notched up two centuries in six matches, including one in the quarterfinals against Karnataka.
Cheteshwar Pujara scored a century and a fifty to end the championship on a high note with a healthy average of 50 in seven innings.
In the bowling department, two seamers —Sandeep Maniar and Jayesh Odedera — finished with 12 wickets each, while left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhruv had 14 to his credit.
Crediting the historic feat to the entire squad, Shah said, “It was total team effort. Not only players but coach Debu (Mitra) sir and the support staff also played a major role in our success. It was a dream run. Nobody expected us to go this far. I think we have silenced our critics and shown our potential. I know it was never easy but everybody worked hard for this day and am proud of my team.”
