Saurashtra make Ranji semis

Rajkot: The left-arm spin duo of Dharmadresinh Jadeja and Parth Bhut helped bowl out Punjab for just 180 as Saurashtra booked a spot in the semifinals of Ranji Trophy.Punjab entered the final day needing 200 runs with eight wickets in hand but found themselves in a rut early in the day even though they managed to delay the blows. Pukhraj Mann held the fort with a 119-ball 42 to help set a base initially but his dismissal opened the floodgates.Skipper Mandeep Singh was the next to offer some resistance with his 45 but was soon running out of partners. Bhut, who had already played a stellar role in the game with a first innings hundred and a fifty in the next, in addition to three wickets, proved to be the wrecker-in-chief in the final innings.He finished with 5-89 while Jadeja bagged a three-wicket haul that complemented his five-fer in the first innings. Together the duo bowled the lion's share of overs wheeling away for over 71 overs to help keep a check on Punjab and eventually bowl them out 71 short of the target.It also allowed Saurashtra to confirm their semifinal clash against Karnataka starting on February 8. AgenciesBrief scores: Saurashtra 303 (Parth Bhut 111*; Mayank Markande 4-84) & 379 (Prerak Mankad 88; Vinay Choudhary 7-179) Punjab 431 (Naman Dhir 131; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 5-109) & 180 (Mandeep Singh 45; Parth Bhut 5-89) Saurashtra won by 71 runs.