Mumbai lifted the Irani Cup for the first time in 27 years, thanks in large part to stellar efforts from Sarfaraz Khan and Tanush Kotian.
At the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Mumbai drew with Rest of India (RoI) to win the Irani Cup on the basis of the first-innings lead, for the first time since 1997.
On day one, RoI captain Ruturaj Gaikwad put Mumbai in to bat, and the Ranji champions were reduced to 37-3 before skipper Ajinkya Rahane (97) and Shreyas Iyer (57) put on 102 for the fourth wicket. Sarfaraz Khan then walked in and struck an unbeaten 222 to lift his side to an imposing 537.
In reply, RoI lost Gaikwad early but managed to stitch partnerships together throughout the innings, with the most rock-solid one worth 165 for the fifth wicket, between opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (191) and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel (93). But once these two were dismissed, they crumbled to 416 to conceded a 121-run lead.
RoI struck at regular intervals with the ball though, and by the end of day four Mumbai were 153-6 and in danger of opening the door to an RoI victory, now the only way Mumbai could lose the Irani Cup.
This prospect loomed even larger on the final day as off-spinner Saransh Jain got rid of the dangerous Sarfaraz, and then Shardul Thakur to leave Mumbai 171-8 in the first session. If they could somehow gain two sessions to bat, RoI had a chance of pulling off a sensational win.
Tanush Kotian scores second first-class ton to secure draw
But it was not be for them, though. Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian, Ranji player of the season for the previous campaign was not out on 20 overnight, and batted admirably with No.10 Mohit Avasthi, who to his credit, remained steadfast in his defence.
By lunch on day five, the pair had put on 89 for the ninth wicket and stretched their side's lead to 381, effectively taking RoI out of the game. Kotian was unbeaten on 82 and Avasthi on 24. Not long after the lunch break, Kotian made his way past the three-figure mark, his second century in first-class cricket even as RoI resorted to bowling part-timers Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan in tandem.
More: Explained: Why Sarfaraz Khan, with a first-class average of 70, will have to wait for long Test run
Kotian and Avasthi continued to bat and bat, as the latter brought up a half-century off 93 balls with a boundary. Immediately after that, both sides shook hands on a draw, declining to play out the remaining time. Kotian remained unbeaten on 114, following a superb 64 in the first innings and a three-wicket haul with the ball. Sarfaraz was named player of the match for his first-innings double century.
This was Mumbai's 15th Irani Cup win (with one shared title) to go with their staggering record of 42 Ranji Trophy titles won. They will now get their Ranji Trophy title defense underway when their 2024-25 season begins on October 11 with a face-off against Baroda.
Irani Cup 2024, final score
Mumbai 537 (Sarfaraz Khan 222*, Mukesh Kumar 5-110) & 329-8d (Tanush Kotian 114*, Saransh Jain 6-121) DREW with Rest of India 416 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 191, Tanush Kotian 3-101). Mumbai won the Irani Cup by virtue of the first-innings lead.
Image credit: JioCinema
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