Rest of India, for the second year in a row, inflicted a crushing defeat on Rajasthan in the Irani Cup, the domestic season opener. At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday, Rajasthan crumbled after some early doggedness to be bowled out for 275, losing by an innings and 79 runs in the last session of the fourth day.
The first innings lead of 354 runs was imposing enough and though the wicket tended to do a little in terms of bounce and turn there was no cause for alarm for the men in the middle.
But, the running between the wickets did not seem the Ranji Trophy champion’s strength. Or so it was given to believe.
Three suicidal run-outs by the top six in the order hastened the end. If opener Vineet Saxena and skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar ran themselves out going for non-existent runs when looking well settled, wicketkeeper-batsman Dishant Yagnik ambling for a third run could not beat Umesh Yadav’s throw from deep cover.
Resuming at 43 for one, both Kanitkar and Saxena played straight and without any flourish. But Saxena, turning one to square-leg, took off for a single and could not regain his crease, ending a 66-run second wicket partnership.
Defiant Bist
Bist, centurion in the first innings, looked compact in defence, punishing anything wayward and sought to defy the Rest attack going into lunch at 149 for two.
However, on resumption, things began to happen. Kanitkar (73) played Ojha to covers and took off for a non-existent run and could not beat Badrinath’s throw to wicketkeeper Karthik and the 95-run third wicket partnership came to an end.
Bist, who looked the most composed of the Rajasthan batsmen, failed to come down quickly to a delivery from Ojha that kept low when on 67 and then Yagnik ran himself out.
Harmeet bowls well
Harmeet Singh, the young left-arm spinner then ran through the tail. The Indian under-19 player had Rashmi Ranjan Parida, the last of the recognised batsmen, edging to Karthik behind the stumps.
He then forced Gajendra Singh to nick one to Rahane at slips before inducing both Madhur Khatri and Aniket Choudhary to hole out to Umesh Yadav in the deep as Rest completed an emphatic win.
M. Vijay, for his fine knock of 266, was adjudged the ‘Man-of-the-match’.
The scores:
Rajasthan — 1st innings: 253.
Rest of India — 1st innings: 607 for seven decl.
Rajasthan — 2nd innings: A. Lamba c Karthik b Ishant 4 ( 4b, 1x4 ), V. Saxena (run out) 18 ( 70b, 3x4 ), H. Kanitkar (run out) 73 ( 151b, 10x4 ), R. Bist b Ojha 67 ( 105b, 10x4 ), R.R. Parida c Karthik b Harmeet 31 ( 64b, 6x4 ), D. Yagnik (run out) 11 ( 16b, 2x4 ), D. Chahar st. Karthik b Ojha 9 ( 12b, 2x4 ), M. Khatri c Yadav b Harmeet 12 ( 66b, 1x4 ), Gajendra Singh c Rahane b Harmeet 0 ( 6b ), A. Choudhary c Yadav b Harmeet 17 ( 35b, 3x4 ), S. Mathur (not out) 19 ( 19b, 4x4 ); Extras (b-4, lb-8, nb-2): 14; Total (in 90.2 overs): 275.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-70, 3-165, 4-180, 5-206, 6-215, 7-226, 8-226, 9-253.
Rest of India bowling: Ishant 13-3-38-1, Yadav 16-4-61-0, Binny 13-5-33-0, Ojha 32-7-83-2, Harmeet 14.2-1-45-4, Badrinath 2-0-3-0.
