Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep bowl Rest of India to Irani Cup title - The Indian Express

The beauty of red-ball cricket lies in its intrinsic irony. An otherwise long, languid affair, spread across days, and yet, a few hours could be all it takes to deliver the game’s verdict. Basking in a Sunday sun that had found its full intensity after two subdued days, fans here at Srinagar’s Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium was offered a slice of that beauty, as Rest of India defeated the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Jammu & Kashmir, by 167 runs to claim the Irani Cup.

“What an incredible performance by the boys. Finally, it happened after two years,” quipped batting coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, relief written across his face as he entered the dressing room to join the captain Rishabh Pant’s birthday celebrations. Three hours earlier, the players in that very room had cut desolate figures.

Chasing a target of 279 runs, the hosts had gone off to a flier. Qamran Iqbal and Shubham Khajuria batted as if they had already pencilled in a free Day 5. In accordance, 54 runs came in the first 10 overs.

What followed would feel to the J&K players like a fever dream.

Iqbal, perhaps too eager to reach the finish line, shuffled across to deposit an Akash Deep delivery into the temporary stands past square leg. Instead, the delivery marked his deposit to the dugout, trapped lbw.

Drinks were called in the 13th over, and a single conversation during that break shaped the outcome of the match. Mukesh Kumar, the least effective of his side’s pacers in the first innings, pleaded with the stand-in captain, Sarfaraz Khan, for just one more over.

Kumar was successful in his convincing bid. That, however, was only the first part of the job.

The pacer would take two wickets in that over and turn the game on its head. An inswinger trapped Shubham Pundir lbw, and the J&K captain, Paras Dogra, was undone by a peach that shaped away from the bat and disturbed the stumps.

At 89/3, however, a semblance of parity still lingered, as it had through the first three days in the valley. Then came an hour of impeccable bowling, which made the contest look like something it never was — a one-sided affair.

Shubham Khajuria, man with the most first-Class appearances for J&K, would offer a shot in the very first delivery after Lunch that was not in synchronisation with his vast experience. He chased a wide delivery from Akash and could only find the edge.

Kanhaiya Wadhawan, apparently untaught by the veteran’s misfortune, offered a near-identical stroke and was caught by the substitute wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal in the same fashion. The only difference between the two dismissals lay in the bowler — this time it was Mukesh Kumar, collecting his third wicket.

He would take three more wickets. Before that, however, Akash’s away movement would result in the second duck of the day — all-rounder Sahil Lotra following in the footsteps of his captain.

The day belonged to the two seamers from Bengal, yet perhaps the most important dismissal came from the showstopper of the first innings, Mukesh Choudhary.

Abdul Samad, who had told this paper of his ambition to score over 1,000 runs in the coming Ranji Trophy season, was a man intent on backing his words. Fresh from a first-innings half-century, he was the picture of poise in the second — batting unperturbed on 20, with the chaos surrounding him not affecting his zen.

But in the 28th over, Choudhary lured him into a drive, and got him caught by Shikhar Mohan at second slip. That, effectively, was the game for Rest of India. Kumar would dismiss Abid Mushtaq, Umar Nazir and Sunil Kumar in the span of four deliveries in the next over, recording his 11th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

It was the first time since 2024 that the Ranji Trophy winners had failed to complete the double. Save for a session of brain fade, though, Dogra’s men did offer a good account of themselves.

“They have 7 players in their team who have played for India. Bahut saari teamein sochti bhi nahin ki unko hara paayenge, but hum mein belief tha (Many teams would not even have fathomed beating them, but we had belief). We fought till the last moment,” Dogra said, his head held high. Outside the stadium, two young fans — Schrödinger’s optimist and pessimist — were locked in debate.

“What was the point of hosting this game involving such big players like Rishabh Pant, and then embarrassing ourselves in front of them?” asked the pessimist.

“Rishabh Pant is here because we are the champions of India. Never forget that,” replied the optimist.

The debate ended in a draw. The trophy ended up in the Rest of India’s locker.

Brief scores: Rest of India 237 & 319 (Ravichandran Smaran 135; Sunil Kumar 3/56) defeated Jammu & Kashmir 278 & 111 (Shubham Khajuria 36; Mukesh Kumar 6/33) by 167 runs.

Shuvaditya Bose is a Deputy Copy Editor at the sports desk of The Indian Express. ... Read More

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