The Rest of India’s bowling unit showcased an impressive performance that proved to be too much for MP, as they retained the prestigious Irani Cup with a 238-run win in Gwalior on Sunday. Led by their formidable spinners, the team bowled their opponents out with almost nothing to show in reply after being set an enormous target of 437 runs. After the first four days already decided the result in favour of the Rest of India, MP were eventually dismissed for a meager 198 runs during the opening session of Day 5 . Even if faced with an uphill battle from across the start line, it remained undoubtedly a momentous victory for our champions.
The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Gwalior threw a great reminder of why cricket remains one of the most beloved sports in India, and anywhere else. After pitches around India were criticized for being overly result-oriented, the Gwalior track provided a breath of fresh air by suiting every aspect of the game. Both batsmen and bowlers had equal say on this pitch, with four tons being scored across both innings and 40 wickets falling in total. Perhaps most telling was the second innings of Madhya Pradesh, where five wickets each were taken by the pacers and spinners. It was an example that proved how good conditions can help bring out the best cricket from all sides involved.
MP’s high-flying start in the match seemed to come crashing down as the seamers Mukesh Kumar, Atit Sheth and Navdeep Saini made light work of the top-order batsmen. Their figures of 2/34, 2/37, and 1/34 respectively were a testament to the show they put on in their bowling performance.
Off-spinner Pulkit Narang (2/27) then uprooted the middle-order while left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar finished with a highly impressive 3/60 as he took advantage of the deteriorating surface. This lead to MP being all out for a total score 294, offering SRH a fighting chance in this tricky encounter. Umpire Rohan Pandit also caused some controversy when he gave out captain Himanshu Mantri for 51 off an lbw which replays showed was clearly missing. It goes without saying that Rasool Khan and Mihir Hirwani will have a lot of work to do if MP wants to sustain its lead given early wickets from both openers Yash Dubey who got an unplayable ball from Mukesh Kumar as his Waterloo.
The Rest of India (RoI) bowling side left no chance for Madhya Pradesh to compete, ensuring their 292-run win. Yashasvi Jaiswal shone with his 357 runs across two innings, composed of an impressive 213 and 144. After the match, he humbly lamented not getting a triple century in either innings, but couldn’t help praising his partner Abhimanyu Easwaran, who scored 154 and played a vital role in their stellar stand. Jaiswal showed appreciation for Easwaran and acknowledged that it was amazing to bat alongside him. His gracious words at the post-match presentation ceremony capped off a successful effort for Jaiswal and the RoI team.
Navdeep Saini‘s exploits with the ball should not be overlooked amidst all the praise for Abhimanyu Easwaran’s heroics with the bat. Saini bowled 29 overs across two innings with a brisk pace which showed why he is held in high regard by cricket pundits. Additionally, Easwaran firmly established himself as one of the most promising opening batsmen in India after two prolific knocks. The only concern surrounded his failure to deliver on the big stage during Bengal’s knockout matches over their last three red ball seasons. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time until Easwaran is able to translate his domestic success into something more substantial if given the opportunity.
