Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s Coverage of Day 5 of the Irani Cup. This was Lalith Kalidas bringing you the updates.
Rest of India players lift the Irani Cup. | Photo Credit: HOTSTAR SCREENGRAB
Very happy about the kind of cricket we played. There was good intent and intensity. The stand between Yashaswi and Easwaran made the difference, especially at the pace they scored. Happy with the way Navdeep Saini’s evolved as a bowler and he led the attack well. Getting the guys together for one game is the major challenge. Looking forward to the IPL. You gotta take these one-off games in your stride and move on, look forward to joining Sunrisers.
If I’d remained not out and gotten a 300 in the first innings, it’d have been better but I’m happy. Initially, the ball was moving and I was trying to bat through when they were bowling well. I was discussing the bowlers’ plan with my partner and back my game. On day 1, when I had an experienced partner in Easwaran, it was easier as he was guiding me. It was amazing to bat with him and the seniors, it was a good learning for me. I need to work on a lot of shots on different types of wickets and adapt to different situations and conditions. I’m excited to join the IPL camp now, hopefully it’ll be a good experience.
Tough match for us, but if we’d done better on the first day we’d have done better. More than the toss, if we’d restricted them to a lower score or had not conceded a big lead, we could have competed more. Solanki played well, unlucky for Aquil in both innings but the youngsters will learn. Chandrakant Pandit has done well with us. He and the support staff have supported us and have kept us positive. We are heading in the right direction overall as a team.
Saurabh to Kartikeya, OUT!
Dipak: It is all over. Saurabh Kumar gets his 3rd wicket. Kumar Kartikeya is the last batter to be out. goes for a sweep and is out leg-before. Madhya Pradesh is all out for 198. Rest of India wins the Irani Cup by 238 runs.
Pulkit to Anubhav, OUT!
Dipak: Make it 9 down. Anubhav Agarwal gives a simple return catch to Pulkit Narang. tries to whip it past the bowler. scoops to the bowler who moves right on his follow through to take a good catch.
Saurabh to Kushwah, OUT!
Dipak: Saurabh Kumar has taken his 2nd wicket. Ankit Kushwah steps down and misses it completely. stumped easily. This match could very well end before Lunch
Pulkit to Gawali, OUT!
Dipak: Just as a small partnership was developing Pulkit Narang strikes to remove the well-set Harsh Gawli. It spun in sharp and kept low to trap him leg-before. Looked plumb. Harsh Gawli made 48 and missed out on a second half-century in the match. Pulkit Narang has been the best spinner in this match.
Harsh Gawali 48(107) lbw Pulkit Narang
Atit to Saransh, OUT!
Dipak: Atit Sheth strikes again. Removes Saransh Jain. A full delivery, Jain flashes and edges the ball to the keeper
Atit to Solanki, OUT!
Dipak: Wow. Atit Sheth produces a delivery that he will be proud of for a while. A sharp inswinger that sends the leg stump cartwheeling. Aman Solanki is out for 31. Might have hit one of those cracks on the pitch. The ball comes in sharply from outside the off-stump and goes past the gap between bat and pad. Solanki was stuck in his crease.
Aman Singh Solanki 31(45) b A Sheth
Dipak: Aman Solanki has come out and looked in good touch. He has quickly raced to 25 with five boundaries. Solanki started with a couple of cover drives off Mukesh Kumar and even stepped out to left-arm Saurabh Kumar.
300 more runs are needed as drinks are taken. We have had 14 overs so far. 56/2 so far in the day. So, 300 is the target for MP in 76 overs, but with only six wickets in hand.
100 up for MP as Solanki drives Mukesh Kumar through cover for FOUR.
Mukesh to Dubey, OUT!
Dipak: Mukesh Kumar strikes and removes Yash Dubey, the centurion from first innings. No doubt about this dismissal though. Yash just hangs his bat and the delivery beats his outside edge to send the off-stump back.
Yash Dubey 8(10) b Mukesh Kumar
Aman Solanki in at 6.
Navdeep Saini opens the attack.
Navdeep to Mantri, OUT!
Dipak from Gwalior: After a poor first spell Navdeep Saini strikes in the first over. Removes Himashu Mantri caught behind. The batter is furious with the call and is arguing with the umpire and can’t believe it. Has to be goaded by the other umpire to leave the field.
Himanshu Mantri 51(81) ct Upendra Yadav b Navdeep Saini
A poor umpiring decision has ruled Himanshu Mantri out in the first over of the morning. | Photo Credit: HOTSTAR SCREENGRAB
Rest of India players take the field as HImanshu Mantri and Harsh Gawali walk out to the center.
Joydeep Mukherjee and Rajat Bhatia reckon: “It is not going to be an easy day for Madhya Pradesh. Four days of cricket have opened up the cracks. Consistent roughs through the track. It has become quite dry and the cracks towards the middle-stump line and centre of the strip have opened up a lot and it’s going to cast doubts in the minds of the batters. With the ROI fast bowlers having some pace, it’s also going to be difficult to judge the bounce.”
Irani Cup: MP vs ROI Day 4 recap
At a venue best known as the place where Sachin Tendulkar created history by becoming the first men’s batter to score a double hundred in one-day internationals, another Mumbai batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, too, got his name in the record books, albeit in the longest format of the game.
On day four of the Irani Cup here at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Jaiswal - who slammed a brilliant 213 on day one for Rest of India - made 144 (157b, 16x4, 3x6) in the second innings to help his side set a daunting target of 437 for Madhya Pradesh.
With the twin hundreds, he holds the record for the most runs in a single Irani Cup match with 357 runs.
The 21-year-old started day four on 58 and looked to be batting on a different pitch, unperturbed by the MP pacers who ran through RoI’s middle order at the other end.
On an overcast day with a gentle breeze blowing across the ground, MP speedsters Avesh Khan and Ankit Kushwah took advantage of the conditions and scalped two wickets each to leave RoI at 122 for five. The home team bowlers stuck to a tight line on the stumps and restricted RoI to 246 in the second innings.
Jaiswal produced an exhibition of attractive shotmaking with decisive footwork in a chanceless knock, even as other batters struggled with the low bounce by being rooted in the crease. He started with two consecutive boundaries towards the third-man region off Kushwah before consolidating as wickets started falling at the other end.
The former India under-19 skipper then quickly moved from 89 to 101 in four balls by hitting off-spinner Saransh Jain for three boundaries in one over. He first swept him through square leg, followed by a whip off the backfoot past wide long-on and then a late cut past the slip to get to his second century of the match.
Chasing 437 for victory, MP finished the day on 81 for two, with skipper Himanshu Mantri leading from the front, batting on 51.
After taking a 190-run first innings lead, RoI will feel it has one hand on the cup unless MP batters can score 356 more runs on the final day.
- S Dipak Ragav
Playing XIs:
Rest of India: Mayank Agarwal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yash Dhull, Baba Indrajith, Upendra Yadav, Atit Sheth, Saurabh Kumar, Pulkit Narang, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar.
Madhya Pradesh: Himanshu Mantri, Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma, Arham Aquil, Aman Singh Solanki, Harsh Gawali, Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Avesh Khan, Anubhav Agarwal, Ankit Singh Kushwah.
The squads:
Madhya Pradesh: Himanshu Mantri (c&wk), Yash Dubey, Harsh Gawli, Shubham Sharma, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Aman Solanki, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Avesh Khan, Ankit Kushwah, Anubhav Agarwal, Mihir Hirwani, Aryan Deshmukh, Arham Aqueel, Aryan Pandey
Rest of India: Mayank Agarwal (c), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harvik Desai, Mukesh Kumar, Atit Sheth, Chetan Sakariya, Navdeep Saini, Upendra Yadav (wk), Shams Mulani, Saurabh Kumar, Akash Deep, B Indrajith, Pulkit Narang, Yash Dhull.
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