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Star batter Sarfaraz Khan, fresh off a record-breaking double century in the first innings, remained unbeaten on Day 4 of the Irani Cup fixture between Mumbai and the Rest of India. The game, which is delicately poised, is set for a thrilling finish.
Irani Cup 2024 poised for a thrilling finish
After breaking the impressive partnerships of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Dhruv Jurel, Mumbai's batting lineup crumbled against the off-spin of Saransh Jain. The reigning Ranji Trophy champions ended the day at 153/6, with a lead of 274 runs and Sarfaraz Khan and Tanush Kotian unbeaten.
Mumbai had initially taken a significant lead of 121 runs after bowling out Rest of India for 416 in the first innings. They further extended their advantage with a strong start from Prithvi Shaw. However, Mumbai's momentum shifted, and they suffered a series of quick wickets, collapsing from 85/1 to 125/6, primarily due to Saransh Jain's effective bowling.
Mumbai's Struggles Against Spin
The pitch proved to be favorable for spinners, and Saransh Jain capitalized on this by dismissing four of Mumbai's top six batters. Despite Prithvi Shaw's impressive 76 from 105, the rest of the Mumbai batsmen struggled to contribute significantly. Sarfaraz Khan and Tanush Kotian remained unbeaten at the crease, with Sarfaraz on nine and Tanush on 20. Their contributions will be crucial for Mumbai to extend their lead.
In addition to Saransh Jain's four wickets, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar also claimed two. The day began with Abhimanyu Easwaran resuming his innings from 151 and Dhruv Jurel joining him at 30. The new ball was introduced but failed to trouble the batsmen, and Easwaran and Jurel formed a valuable 165-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
However, after Jurel's dismissal, Mumbai's momentum faltered. Easwaran was dismissed for 191, and the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team lost their final six wickets for just 23 runs.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 1st innings: 537/10 (Sarfaraz Khan 222, Mukesh Kumar 110/5); Rest of India 1st innings: 416/10 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 191, Tanush Kotian 101/3); Mumbai 2nd innings: 153/6 (Prithvi Shaw 76, Saransh Jain 67/4)
