Irani Cup:The dream of a ‘domestic double’ for Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) remained unfulfilled. Having made history by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time, J&K also had the opportunity to clinch the Irani Cup, but their bid fell short.
Rest of India bowled out Jammu and Kashmir for just 111 runs on the fourth day of the match, securing the Irani Cup with a massive 167-run victory. Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar was the star of the win for the Rishabh Pant-led Rest of India side, claiming six wickets in the final innings.
In the Irani Cup match held in Srinagar, the Rest of India's second innings concluded during the first session on Sunday, October 4. The team added only 14 runs to their overnight score, eventually getting bowled out for 320.
Centurion Smaran Ravichandran was the last man to fall, having scored 135 runs. Consequently, Jammu & Kashmir were set a target of 279 runs for victory.
J&K Crumble Against Mukesh and Akash
Jammu & Kashmir made a strong start to the run chase, with their openers sharing a 54-run partnership. However, the team's fortunes took a nosedive once the first wicket fell. Fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep both of whom have represented the Indian Test team wreaked such havoc that the batters returned to the pavilion one by one, and the entire team was bowled out for 111 runs in just 28.4 overs.
Opener Shubham Khajuria was the team's top scorer with 36 runs. Meanwhile, for the Rest of India side, Mukesh Kumar claimed 6 wickets and Akash Deep took 3.
Team Wins Without Captain Pant
However, captain Rishabh Pant did not take the field on the final day, as he had been severely troubled by a fever since the third day. This was the reason he had come out to bat at number eight in the second innings. Consequently, Sarfaraz Khan took over the captaincy of the Rest of India team in the final innings and steered the side to victory.Also Read: Yuvraj Singh explosive innings: Scored 71 runs, including 6 sixes
