‘Kya baat hai’ – Fans react as Rest of India beat Ranji Trophy winners Saurashtra in Irani Cup 2023
Saurabh Kumar won the Player of the Match award.
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Oct 3, 2023 8:43 pm
The rest of India defeated Saurashtra in the final of the Irani Cup 2023. It is the competition between the Ranji Trophy winners and a team formed with good performers in the Ranji season from the team other than the winning team. Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy final earlier this year. The rest of India defeated them in the Irani Cup match in Rajkot. The Rest of India was just too good with the ball in both the innings.
On a difficult surface to bat on, Rest of India’s captain Hanuma Vihari won the toss and elected to bat first. With some responsible batting from Sai Sudarshan and 30s from Mayank Agarwal, Vihari himself, KS Bharat, Shams Mulani, and Saurabh Kumar, the Rest of India managed to score 308 runs in their first innings. Parth Bhut claimed a 5-wicket haul in the first innings for Saurashtra.
Saurashtra managed to score only 214 runs in their first innings. Batting got only tougher with the progression of the match. By the time Saurashtra came to bat, the pitch had already started to deteriorate. Only Arpit Vasavada scored fifty for Saurashtra. Saurabh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers for the Rest of India, who claimed 4 wickets. Vidwath Kaverappa claimed 3 wickets with the ball.
Irani Cup (Source: Twitter)
Saurabh Kumar and Parth Bhut shine with the ballย
The rest of India was powered by a good opening partnership in the second innings. On a pitch which was difficult to bat, the likes of Sai Sudarshan and Agarwal scored 40s each and were involved in an 85-run stand for the first wicket. ROI managed to score 160 runs, which looked enough on the surface, given the lead they had. Parth Butt claimed a 7-wicket haul for Saurashtra.
Chasing 255, Saurashtra collapsed like a pack of cards. The Ranji Trophy champions were dismissed for a score of just 79 runs. No batter could stay longer in the middle. On a raging turner, Saurabh Kumar claimed a 6-wicket haul and proved to be a lethal force. Shams Mulani claimed 3 wickets as well. As a result, ROI won the match by 175 runs and defeated the Ranji Trophy champions.
Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –
Congratulations rest of india for winning irani trophy ๐
Such a pathetic pitch it was. Game even didn’t last for 3 days. Bcci need to do certain things better and 1st is better pitch. In white ball it’s absolutely belter and and in red ball it deteriorates easily.
