Mumbai took the all-important first innings lead against Rest of India in the Irani Cup 2024 game, handing them the trophy as the match eventually ended in a draw. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, and Tanush Kotian were the major contributors for the victors.
Being put in to bat in Lucknow by Rest of India captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, after a slight rain delay on day one, Mumbai collapsed early to 37-3 before Rahane (97) added 102 for the fourth wicket with Shreyas Iyer (57).
Sarfaraz then took control of the innings, batting at No.6, scoring his 15th first-class century before converting it into a double. He also went past India's Ajay Sharma on the list of highest first-class batting averages in the process.
Mumbai scored a mammoth 537 in the first innings with Sarfaraz unbeaten on 222. Mukesh Kumar took 5-110 for Rest of India, but the rest of the bowlers didn't have much to show for their efforts.
In response, Abhimanyu Easwaran carried over his phenomenal form from the Duleep Trophy, shepherding the Rest of India innings with Dhruv Jurel (93) and taking them to a commanding position at 593-4. However, things went downhill from there as Jurel went followed by Easwaran (191). Soon, Rest of India were bolwed out for 416, 121 short of Mumbai's score. Kotian was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers, taking 3-101.
Read more: West Indies pick 17-year-old keeper for Sri Lanka ODIs, stars opt out of T20Is
Mumbai's collapse in the second innings led by off-spinner Saransh Jain (6-121) meant Rest of India were in with a glimmer of hope on the fifth morning, with Mumbai leading by 274 and having just four wickets in hand.
However, Kotian's rearguard effort at No.8, where he ended up scoring his second first-class hundred, effectively and literally killed the game as Mumbai finished their innings on 329-8 declared, 450 runs ahead of Rest of India.
With just a session's play left, both teams shook hands and didn't feel the need to play out the fourth innings as Mumbai were declared winners on account of their first innings lead.
Watch the Irani Cup 2024 highlights
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
