By IANS
Rajkot : The Mohammed Kaif-led Rest of India easily defeated Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai by nine wickets to win the season-opening Irani Trophy here Tuesday.
The Rest were easily the superior side and they notched up the required 88 runs in their second innings in the 19th over, with Kaif aptly hitting the winning boundary off medium pacer Ajit Agarkar.
On the fourth morning Tuesday, the Rest needed just 15 deliveries to bundle out Mumbai – struggling at 98 for six overnight – for 106 in their second innings, with Ajinkya Rahane being the top scorer with 27.
Fast bowler Munaf Patel was the most successful bowler with five wickets for 25 from 7.3 overs.
Then, the Rest notched up 91 for the loss of Aakash Chopra’s wicket in 18.5 overs, with Parthiv Patel (59) and Kaif (22) remaining unbeaten at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground.
Patel had scored a century in the first innings.
Earlier, Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar had won the toss in the five-day match and had chosen to bat. The side had scored 453 in the first innings and the Rest had replied with 472.
Lanky Delhi medium pacer Ishant Sharma took six wickets in the match.
Irani Trophy is the traditional season-opening match between the Ranji Trophy national champion side of the previous season and some of the best players from the rest of the country.
Scoreboard
Day Four, Irani Trophy, Rest of India vs. Mumbai, Madhavrao Scindia Ground, Rajkot, Oct 9
Mumbai (1st innings): 453
Rest of India (1st innings): 472
Mumbai (2nd innings, overnight 98/6)
Sahil Kukreja run out (Munaf) 14
Ajinkya Rahane c Chopra b Sharma 27
Wasim Jaffer b Munaf 25
Amol Muzumdar c Chopra b Bose 4
Prashant Naik lbw b Munaf 13
Abhishek Nayar c Chopra b Munaf 8
Ramesh Powar b Munaf 0
Ajit Agarkar not out 11
Iqbal Abdulla c Mishra b Sharma 0
Omkar Gurav c Patel b Sharma 0
Rajesh Verma c Patel b Munaf 0
Extras: (lb 1, nb 3) 4
Total: (all out in 33.3 overs) 106
Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Kukreja, 11.1 overs), 2-43 (Rahane, 11.3), 3-50 (Muzumdar, 14.2), 4-74 (Naik, 23.2), 5-82 (Nayar, 23.6), 6-82 (Powar, 25.4), 7-103 (Jaffer, 31.4), 8-104 (Abdulla, 32.2), 9-105 (Gurav, 32.6)
Bowling:
Ranadeb Bose 11-1-42-1
Ishant Sharma 11-3-31-3 (2nb)
Amit Mishra 4-1-7-0 (1nb)
Munaf Patel 7.3-2-25-5
Rest of India (2nd innings):
Aakash Chopra st Gaurav b Abdulla 7
Parthiv Patel not out 59
Mohammed Kaif not out 22
Extras: (lb 2, nb 1) 3
Total: (for one wicket in 18.5 overs) 91
Fall of wicket: 1-39 (Chopra, 7.1 overs)
Bowling:
Ajit Agarkar 3.5-0-31-0 (1nb)
Rajesh Verma 3-0-29-0
Abhishek Nayar 6-1-11-0
Iqbal Abdulla 6-0-18-1
Result: Rest of India won by nine wickets
Umpires: K. Hariharan and S.K. Tarapore
TV umpire: R.M. Deshpandey
Match referee: Manu Nayyar