Saurabh Kumar, a left-arm spinner, destroyed
Saurashtra’s batting order to finish the game with a match total of 10 for 108
and lead Rest of India to an Irani Cup victory.
On the third day, Saurashtra’s first innings score of
212 for 9 could only be increased by two runs, and Saurabh finished the game
with 4 for 65. B Sai Sudharsan (43) and Mayank Agarwal (49) got Rest of India
off to a fast start as they set up an 85-run stand after starting 94 runs
ahead. In the 29th over, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja achieved the breakthrough by
having Agarwal caught behind.
Parth Bhut then took Sudharsan’s wicket, and shortly
after, he eliminated Sarfaraz Khan for a score of 13. In the following over,
Jadeja made a comeback to dismiss Hanuma Vihari for 22. When Rest of India
reached 160, Bhut staged a collapse in which they lost their next six wickets
for 22 runs, setting Saurashtra a target of 255.
With figures of 7 for 53 in the second innings, Bhut
finished the game with a match total of 12 for 147, which was a career high.
In exchange, Saurabh dismissed Chirag Jani, the opener
for Saurashtra, in the second over. He then dismissed Samarth Vyas for 10, and
Mulani then bowled Cheteshwar Pujara for seven. After losing four wickets for
18 runs, Saurashtra collapsed to 51 for 8. After some brief resistance from
Jadeja and Prerak Mankad (a 28-run stand), Saurabh returned to dismiss the
final two batsmen, allowing Saurashtra to be routed for 79. He helped Rest of
India win by 175 runs by taking 6 for 43 in the second innings.
With 115 runs, Sudharsan finished as the game’s
leading scorer (he scored 72 in the first innings), and Bhut led in
wicket-taking.