Cricket has a deep-rooted history with Saurashtra. The Ranji Trophy, founded in 1934, is named after K.S. Ranjitsinghji, who was once the ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar, in Saurashtra. Nawanagar and later Western India were among the early champions of this prestigious domestic cricket competition, winning in 1936-37 and 1943-44.
It took more than 75 years for a team representing the region to reclaim the Ranji Trophy, which they achieved in the 2019-20 season. The current Saurashtra cricket team has undoubtedly closed the gap with their illustrious history through a gradual and deliberate progression. Saurashtra will play in their third Ranji Trophy final in four seasons and their fifth final in the past ten years beginning with their match versus Bengal.
Niraj Odedra, the coach of Saurashtra, exclaimed, “it’s pretty awesome,” after his team defeated Karnataka in the semifinal. He commented that every time they have advanced from the knockout round, they have won. It’s a fantastic accomplishment. Despite being a good team, Karnataka has lost a lot of semifinal games. He feels really lucky to be a part of a team that is making a difference.
The success of Saurashtra has been based on trust and stability. Only two players have made their debuts for them in the previous four years. Niraj, a member of the Saurashtra organization since 2015, claims this. He commented that Yuvraj Dodia (eight wickets on debut vs. Mumbai) and Jay Gohil (227 on debut vs. Assam). They provide opportunities very slowly, but they ensure that those who do so participate actively.
The fact that Saurashtra’s talent pool is geographically constricted by the presence of two other Ranji teams in the area—Baroda and parent state Gujarat—may have influenced this steady approach. Vidarbha, which has Mumbai and Maharashtra as neighbors and shares a similar quirk, won the Ranji titles in 2017–18 and 2018–19.
In the last two games, Saurashtra’s stand-in skipper Arpit Vasavada, a veteran of 76 First Class games for the club, claimed the settled atmosphere among his colleagues has bred a big-match mindset.
The captain stated that he can see that most of the players have not changed from the 2015–16 edition to the present, and they are all able to handle the pressure of huge games. Punjab led by 128 runs in the first round. They were all sure that we could return, if he remembers correctly from the atmosphere in the dressing room.
He added that that is the mentality that each player has attained. They don’t compete for their own personal objectives. The goal is to compete in the championship game and take home the trophy from the start of the season.
The fact that Saurashtra is a domestic mainstay, just like it was over eight decades ago, cannot be denied. It may or may not materialize against Bengal at the Eden Gardens.