When the fourth day’s action resumed at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday, with the home team enjoying a slender lead of 10 runs, not many imagined that it would set up a 252-run target for Punjab, despite left-arm Vinay Choudhary claiming a seven-wicket haul (7 for 179).
But Saurashtra’s lower middle-order batters - Prerak Mankad (88, 137b, 8x4, 2x6) and Parth Bhut (51, 68b, 4x4, 2x6) - battled the odds in a Ranji Trophy quarterfinals clash and helped the team reach 379 in its second innings to put up a stiff challenge for Punjab, which ended the day at 52 for the loss of two wickets.
On the final day, Punjab needs 200 runs, while Saurashtra is in search of eight wickets to reach the semifinals.
However, it won’t be an easy task for either of the teams as Punjab would be pinning its hopes on the youngster Pukhraj Mann (17 n.o., 40b, 3x4) and the middle-order, while the Saurashtra spinners - Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Bhut (2 for 30) - will be hoping to make the most of the conditions.
Chasing a tricky total, Punjab started cautiously before Naman Dhir was caught by Sheldon Jackson at slip cordon off Bhut. A centurion in the first essay, Dhir tried to make room outside off and looked to loft the ball over covers inside out, but ended up getting an outside edge, straight into the hands of Jackson. On the final over of the day, Bhut struck again, dismissing opener Prabhsimran Singh, who went on the back foot to defend and missed the delivery and was trapped leg before.
Though there were no further dents, Punjab would be disappointed as they let it slip in the second session, after three wickets fell early on, despite captain Arpit Vasavada and Chirag Jani scoring 77 runs each and forging a 140-run stand.
From being at 267-7 at lunch, Saurashtra took control of the game post lunch, with Bhut and Mankad building on a 92-run partnership. Playing aggressively, Bhut, who scored a century in the first innings, cut and drove fluently and brought up his half-century with a six before being chopped on off a Mayank Markande delivery to fall on the next ball.
Mankad, who survived a stumping attempt, however, stood firm and hit a flurry of boundaries and a couple of sixes to extend the lead. By the time Choudhary dismissed him, Saurashtra had quite a bit of runs to defend.
