Sarfaraz Khan notched up a double century to put Mumbai in the driver’s seat at the end of day two in the Irani Cup in Lucknow.
Mumbai resumed their innings on their overnight score of 237-4, with Sarfaraz (54*) and Ajinkya Rahane (86*) at the crease. The Mumbai captain perished soon for a 234-ball 97 after edging Yash Dayal to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, bringing an end to their 131-run stand.
Sarfaraz had a reprieve on 95 and he ensured it was utilised to its full extent. The middle-order batter brought up his 15th first-class hundred before converting it into his fourth double ton.
Sarfaraz became the first Mumbai batter to score a double hundred in the Irani Cup. He surpassed the previous highest score of 195 by Ramnath Parkar in 1972.
When Sarfaraz Khan gets in, he makes it count 😲
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) October 2, 2024
He’s scored 15 first-class hundreds in 75 innings, with 10 scores of 150 or more, and is currently batting on 200* in the Irani Cup.
What a talent.
➡️ https://t.co/pcRw1IG7HR pic.twitter.com/F0dKJzqS4y
With this landmark, Sarfaraz also made massive gains on the list of batters with the highest first-class average, jumping to third from fifth with his average now reading 69.90.
Mumbai tail frustrates Rest of India
Mumbai's batting line-up runs deep. Tanush Kotian, coming in an eight, frustrated the opposition with a patient 64. His 124-ball stay ended after being bowled by Prasidh Krishna. Shardul Thakur also chipped in with a 59-ball 36 to stretch the score past 500-run mark.
Mukesh Kumar was by far the pick of the Rest of India bowlers, picking up four wickets, while Yash Dayal and Krishna took two wickets each.
Irani Cup 2024, Mumbai v Rest of India, Day 2 Brief scores:
Mumbai 536-9 in 138 overs (S Khan 221*, A Rahane 97) v Rest of India (M Kumar 4-109, Y Dayal 2-89).
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