Saurashtra beat Rajasthan by an innings and 31 runs

A fighting century by Rajesh Bishnoi went in vain as Saurashtra thrashed Rajasthan by an innings and 31 runs to win with a bonus point on the fourth and final day of their Group B Ranji Trophy match here today.
Having declared their first innings on 475 for seven, Saurashtra had bundled out Rajasthan for a paltry 136 in their first essay.
In their second innings, Rajasthan were all out for 308.
Resuming at an 147 for four, the visitors' hopes of saving the match relied on the overnight pair of Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rajesh Bishnoi.
The duo started the day on a positive note and gave a glimpse of hope to Rajasthan as they added 91 runs together for fifth wicket.

Bishnoi, having resumed on 2, went on to score 106.

However, the well-settled pair got separated when Kanitkar gave a simple catch to close-in fielder Cheteshwar Pujara off Vishal Joshi's bowling.
Kanitkar scored 42 off 86 balls, laced with four fours.
Departure of Kanitkar triggered a collapse as Rajasthan's lower order batsmen failed to provide support to Bishnoi, who fought a lone battle at the other end.
Bishnoi, who completed his century in 127 balls, was finally bowled by Abhishek Bhatt. He faced 139 balls during his 185-minute stay at the crease, hitting 12 boundaries and three sixes.
For Saurashtra, left arm leg spinner Dharmendra Jadeja was the most successful bowler taking four wickets in the second innings, conceding 18 runs, while debutant seamer Abhishek Bhatt got two wickets by giving away just nine runs from his six overs.

Saurashtra earned seven points including one bonus point (6+1).
Brief Scores:
Saurashtra: 475 for seven declared
Rajasthan: 136 & 308 all out (Rajesh Bishnoi 106, Hrishikesh Kanitkar 42; Dharmendra Jadeja 4/108, Abhishek Bhatt 2/09).