Vishvaraj Jadeja's Stellar Performance Leads Saurashtra to Vijay Hazare Trophy Final

Saurashtra's Impressive Victory

In a remarkable display of batting, Saurashtra opener Vishvaraj Jadeja scored an unbeaten 165 runs, guiding his team to a nine-wicket victory over Punjab in the second semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 on Friday.

Path to the Final

This win secured Saurashtra's spot in the final of the prestigious 50-over domestic tournament, where they will compete against Vidarbha on January 18.

Chasing a target of 292 runs, captain Harvik Desai contributed significantly with a solid 64 runs off 63 balls, which included nine boundaries. He formed a formidable opening partnership of 172 runs with Jadeja.

Jadeja's Dominance

Jadeja's impressive innings of 165 runs came off 127 balls, featuring 18 fours and three sixes. Alongside him, Prerak Mankad added a valuable 52 runs from 49 balls, helping Saurashtra achieve their target in just 39.3 overs.

Punjab's Struggles

On the bowling front for Punjab, Gurnoor Brar took one wicket for 52 runs.

Earlier, Anmolpreet Singh's century and Prabhsimran Singh's resilient 87 runs allowed Punjab to set a total of 291 runs in their 50 overs.

Batting first, the duo of Harnoor Singh and Prabhsimran Singh established a 60-run opening partnership. However, Harnoor was run out in the 13th over after scoring 33 runs off 43 balls, which included five fours and one six.

Anmolpreet's Efforts Fall Short

Anmolpreet's outstanding performance of 100 runs off 105 balls, featuring nine fours and one six, was not enough to secure a win for Punjab.

Ramandeep Singh contributed 42 runs off 38 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup struggled, leading to Punjab being all out for 291 runs.

Saurashtra's Bowling Attack

Saurashtra's bowlers played a crucial role in restricting Punjab, with Chetan Sakariya taking 4 wickets for 60 runs, Ankur Panwar claiming 2 for 54, and Chirag Jani also taking 2 wickets for 73 runs.