Irani Cup: Rest of India thrash Saurashtra by 8 wickets to clinch title

The Rest of India side defeated 2019-20 Ranji Trophy champion Saurashtra by eight wickets to clinch the Irani Cup title in Rajkot on Tuesday. ROI, who were chasing an easy target of 105-run, rode on opener Abhimanyu Easwaran’s unbeaten 63 to win the match in under two sessions on day four. Earlier, Mukesh Kumar’s excellent 23/4 helped ROI bowl out Saurashtra for mere 98 runs in their first innings, and later Sarfaraz Khan smashed a century to take ROI to 374 thus helping them take a 276-run lead.

That Winning Feeling! 👏 👏

Say hello to @mastercardindia #IraniCup winners - Rest of India! 🏆 👍 #SAUvROI

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— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 4, 2022

However, riding on half-centuries from the quartet comprising Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Prerak Mankad, and skipper Jaydev Unadkat, Saurashtra overhaul a 276-run deficit in their second innings as they ended the Day 3 at 368/8. But on Day 4, Kuldeep Sen blew away the last two batters with scorching pace and steep bounce to finish with a match haul of eight wickets to help the Rest of India win their 29th Irani Trophy. Kuldeep, who return the figures of 5/94 in 19 overs in ROI’s second innings, showed why he is so highly rated at the national level and will be travelling with the Team India to Perth as a net bowler for the T20 World Cup.

Winners Are Grinners! ☺️ 🙌

Rest of India beat the spirited Saurashtra side to win the #IraniCup. 👏 👏 #SAUvROI | @mastercardindia

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— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 4, 2022

Meanwhile, needing only 105 runs with almost two days of play left, ROI knocked off the runs in little over a session and a half with Abhimanyu Easwaran remaining unbeaten on 63 while adding 81 match-winning runs for the unbroken third wicket stand with keeper Kona Bharat (27 not out). Easwaran, who has an average of 32 in his last 20 innings, played some flowing strokes, including some great cover drives but to be fair, these weren’t runs scored under pressure like what Sarfaraz Khan did when he came into bat at 18/3 in ROI’s first innings. Deservingly, Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar got the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his mesmerizing first-morning spell when he got four top-order wickets to bowl Saurashtra out for 98 and literally pocket the game. ‘‘There was some assistance early on and we tried to bowl them out as quickly as possible. I focus on my line and length,’’ Mukesh said after the game. His skipper Hanuma Vihari was all praise for Sarfaraz Khan, who bailed the team out with a brilliant hundred on the opening day. ‘‘We were in a tough situation on a wicket which was helping for the bowlers, Sarfaraz batted beautifully. The 220-run partnership (him and Sarfaraz) helped us to gain the momentum and we took the game away from them.’’ Vihari scored a cautious 82 off 184 balls, but wasn’t disappointed on missing out on a hundred. ‘‘I wanted to get the hundred because I worked hard. I batted long, but at the end of the day, the contribution helped the team and I am happy.’’ For Saurashtra captain Unadkat, the first day track was a very unlike Rajkot one, and that made the difference. ‘‘We crumbled under the conditions. It wasn’t a typical Rajkot wicket. We had to be in the game in that session and we couldn’t do it. It was about an extraordinary performance from someone who could have pulled out of that situation, didn’t happen but we fought till the end. Brief Scores: Saurashtra 98 and 380 (Jaydev Unadkat 89, Prerak Mankad 72, Sheldon Jackson 71, Kuldeep Sen 5/98). (With PTI inputs)