Vidarbha`s resilient lower-order delivered a crucial performance, setting Rest of India a demanding target of 361 runs for victory in the Irani Cup final. Adding to their strong position, Vidarbha`s bowlers then dismissed two Rest of India openers late on the fourth day, leaving the chasing side with only eight wickets remaining.
Rest of India 214 & 30 for 2 (Kishan 5*, Patidar 2*) need another 331 runs to beat Vidarbha 342 & 232 (Mokhade 37, Wadkar 36, Nalkande 35, Kamboj 4-34)
Beginning the day at 96 for 2 in their second innings, Vidarbha initially faced pressure from the Rest of India bowlers, Anshul Kamboj and Saransh Jain. However, crucial contributions from their lower-middle order transformed their innings from a precarious 105 for 5 to a respectable total of 232. Captain Akshay Wadkar, batting at No. 6, scored 36 runs, Harsh Dubey at No. 7 added 29, and Darshan Nalkande, at No. 9, contributed 39 vital runs.
Anshul Kamboj emerged as the standout bowler for Rest of India, securing four crucial wickets. He dismantled Vidarbha`s middle-order, dismissing batsmen from Nos. 3 to 6. Danesh Malewar`s inside edge was caught in the slip cordon, while Dhruv Shorey was trapped leg-before-wicket by an inswinging delivery. Yash Rathod was caught behind off a ball that moved away, and Captain Wadkar also fell to a catch by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan with the new ball. Kamboj`s exceptional spell yielded figures of 4 for 34 in just 12 overs.
In their chase of 361 runs, Rest of India suffered early setbacks, losing both openers before the close of play. Aditya Thakare bowled Aryan Juyal through his defenses, dislodging his stumps. Harsh Dubey then dismissed Abhimanyu Easwaran leg-before-wicket, a decision that stood after an unsuccessful review by the batsman.
At stumps, Ishan Kishan was unbeaten on 5 runs, with Rajat Patidar on 2 runs. Rest of India now faces the daunting task of scoring another 331 runs with only eight wickets remaining. Meanwhile, Vidarbha is poised to claim their third Irani Cup title within the last decade, following their previous victories in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
