Punjab crush Rajasthan by 9 wickets for fourth outright win

Mohali: Young opener Jiwanjot Singh struck his third century in his fifth first-class game as Punjab defeated Rajasthan by nine wickets to register their fourth outright win and remain on top of Group A in the Ranji Trophy.

Chasing 204 for victory, Punjab reached the target in 53.1 overs courtesy Jiwanjot`s unbeaten knock of 110 studded with 21 boundaries. He added 142 runs for the unbroken second wicket stand with Ravi Inder Singh, who scored an unbeaten 60. Starting the day at 149 for one, Punjab needed only 55 runs and they knocked off the remainder in just over 12 overs. Punjab have now won all their home matches at Mohali and with 29 points from five games are certain to make it to the quarterfinals with three games still remaining. This was the 22-year-old`s third hundred after scoring a double century on debut against Hyderabad followed by another century in the very next match against Bengal. Jiwanjot has now scored 619 runs in five games at an astonishing average of 103.16 with three hundreds and a half century. The sardar from Patiala is easily the find of the season and is certainly prospect as far as India`s `A` tours are concerned. Brief Scores: Rajasthan 222 & 196. Punjab 215 & 206 for one (Jiwanjot Singh not out 110, Ravi Inder Singh not out 60). Points: Punjab 6; Rajasthan 0. PTI