Saurashtra produced a dominant all-round performance to storm into the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, riding on a magnificent unbeaten knock from Vishvaraj Jadeja against Punjab in the second semifinal at Bengaluru.

Chasing a challenging target of 292, Saurashtra’s openers wasted little time settling in. Harvik Desai and Vishvaraj Jadeja needed just a few overs to get going before launching a sustained assault on the Punjab bowling attack. The momentum shifted decisively in the fifth over when Jadeja stepped out confidently to dispatch Gurnoor Brar over midwicket, setting the tone for what followed.

From that moment, the chase turned one-sided. Punjab’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs as Saurashtra kept finding boundaries at regular intervals. Krish Bhagat endured a particularly tough spell, conceding heavily as the openers tightened their grip on the match.

Jadeja was in complete control throughout the innings, blending timing with power to bring up his third century of the season in just 74 deliveries. Desai played the perfect supporting role, scoring a fluent 64 before departing, but by then the contest was firmly in Saurashtra’s favour.

Saurashtra crossed the finish line at 293 for 1 in just 39.3 overs, winning by nine wickets with more than ten overs to spare. Punjab were also penalised five runs for running on the pitch, slightly reducing the target, though it made little difference to the final outcome.

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Earlier, Punjab had posted 291 in their allotted 50 overs, led by a century from Anmolpreet Singh and a brisk 87 from Prabhsimran Singh. However, their efforts were undone by a disciplined bowling performance from Saurashtra, with Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya applying pressure at key moments.

With this emphatic win, Saurashtra marched confidently into the final, buoyed by top-order firepower and a clinical approach in knockout conditions.