"The rise and rise of Saurashtra is the story of domestic cricket" - Aakash Chopra on Jaydev Unadkat and Co.'s Ranji Trophy triumph

Aakash Chopra has highlighted how Saurashtra's consistent performances have been the story of India's domestic cricket over the last decade or so.

Saurashtra defeated Bengal by nine wickets in the Ranji Trophy final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata last week. They bowled out Manoj Tiwary and Co. for 241 in their second essay after taking a 230-run first-innings lead before scoring the required 12 runs for the loss of Jay Gohil's wicket.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was all praise for Saurashtra, saying:

"Saurashtra have become the Ranji Trophy champions once again. They defeated Bengal. Welcome them with applause. The rise and rise of Saurashtra is the story of domestic cricket. If there is a most successful team of the last decade, it is the team of Jaydev Unadkat, Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara - I mean Team Saurashtra."

The former Indian opener pointed out that the West Zone side finished Ranji Trophy runners-up on three occasions in the last decade, elaborating:

"If we see the story of the last 10 years - from the 2012-13 season, they reached the final in 2012-13, then the final in 2015-16, lost to Mumbai both times for sure. After that, they again reached the final in 2018-19 and lost to Vidharbha."

Chopra lauded Saurashtra for upstaging the usual domestic powerhouses in the last few seasons, explaining:

"Then Saurashtra won in 2019-20 and 2022-23. Saurashtra have done an amazing job by consistently winning. They have played five finals in the last 10 years. What an amazing team they are - the focus is on Mumbai, Delhi, Bengal, Karnataka - these are the powerhouses - but Saurashtra quietly have been doing a phenomenal job."

Jaydev Unadkat and Co. got the better of Bengal in both the 2019-20 and 2022-23 Ranji Trophy finals. While the 2020-21 tournament was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Madhya Pradesh lifted the trophy in 2021-22.

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"Ravindra Jadeja is the world's best all-rounder at the moment" - Aakash Chopra on the Saurashtra players shining on the international stage

Ravindra Jadeja was the Player of the Match in the first two Tests against Australia.

Chopra concluded by highlighting that Saurashtra's players like Unadkat, Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara are also proving their worth in the international arena, observing:

"Think about it - Jaydev Unadkat is now a part of the Indian team in two formats (Tests and ODIs), Ravindra Jadeja is the world's best all-rounder at the moment and Cheteshwar 'dependable' Pujara is only the second player in the current Indian team to have played 100 Tests."

While Jadeja and Pujara played in the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Unadkat was released from the Indian squad ahead of the second game to play the Ranji Trophy final. The Saurashtra skipper is back in the Indian squad for the final two Tests against Australia.

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