Irani Cup 2022-23: Rest of India retains title after crushing Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs; netizens applaud
Irani Cup 2022-23: The Rest of India gave another splendid performance to tame Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs and retain the title, while netizens applauded it for its success.
FollowThe Rest of India's bowling unit performed like a well-oiled machine as the team thrashed Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs to retain the prestigious Irani Cup at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior on Sunday. Chasing a near-impossible 437 for victory, MP was bowled out for 198 in 58.4 overs as the match ended during the opening session of Day 5.
With the so-called result-oriented and under-prepared pitches for the continuing Border-Gavaskar Trophy receiving a lot of flak, the Gwalior track was a throwback to the days when there used to be helpful for every department the game. Four tons were scored in the match, 40 wickets fell, and pacers and spinners had an equal say during the game.
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A case in point is the MP second innings, where the pacers and spinners shared five wickets. Seamers Mukesh Kumar (2/34), Atit Sheth (2/37) and Navdeep Saini (1/34) blew away the MP top-order. At the same time, off-spinner Pulkit Narang (2/27) and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar (3/60) took advantage of the deteriorating surface to mop up the lower middle-order and tail.
In the morning, MP skipper Himanshu Mantri (51) got a raw deal from umpire Rohan Pandit, who raised his finger when the batter hadn't nicked one behind the stumps. MP lost wickets at regular intervals as first-innings centurion Yash Dubey got a lethal in-cutter from Mukesh Kumar and was cleaned up.
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There was no let-up in intensity from the Rest of India's bowlers, and MP didn't even have the remotest chance to make a match of it. For the RoI team, comprised mainly of India A players, Yashasvi Jaiswal, with 357 runs across two innings (213 and 144), was the showstopper.
"If I would have remained not out (on Day 1). I would have gotten a 300, which would have been better. I had an experienced partner in Easwaran, and it was amazing to bat alongside him," Jaiswal said after the match, praising opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (154), with whom he shared a triple hundred-plus stand.
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Another good news was Navdeep Saini bowling 29 overs across two innings briskly. Easwaran also showed why he is rated highly among the Gen-Next openers. The only aspect people tend to criticise him for is his inability to deliver in pressure games for Bengal. There have been eight knockout games (quarterfinals, semifinals and final) across the three red ball seasons that Bengal have played, but the Team India contender still needs to make a mark in the matches which matter.
(With inputs from PTI)
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