Irani Cup 2024, Day 1 Review: Rahane, Iyer, Sarfaraz fifties keep Mumbai steady

Ajinkya Rahane (Twitter)

Captain Ajinkya Rahane, senior batter Shreyas Iyer, and Sarfaraz Khan reigned supreme on Day 1 of the Irani Cup at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The Rest of India captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to field first and that worked wonders as Mukesh Kumar picked up three early wickets to put Mumbai in trouble.

Prithvi Shaw was his first victim of the day. The opener went for the drive but a thick edge sent it towards slip. It was going wide but Devdutt Padikkal at second slip dived to his right and picked up an incredible catch to send Shaw back to the pavilion for four runs. 

Check out – WATCH: Prithvi Shaw’s domestic return halted by Devdutt Padikkal’s stunning catch in slips during Irani Cup

The Ranji champions lost their second wicket in the same over when Mukesh got the better of Hardik Tamore. He was promoted in the batting order but lasted only three balls as the keeper-batter also nicked while playing a drive. It was a loose shot from his end and Mumbai were 6/2 inside three overs.

Soon after that, Ayush Mhatre lost his wicket to Mukesh for 19 after failing to hit a shot ball. He mistimed it and a thick edge took the ball to Dhruv Jurel, who picked up an easy catch. Mumbai were in trouble and that is when Shreyas and Rahane took charge and bailed them out.

The duo stitched a partnership of 102 runs as Shreyas made 57 before losing his wicket to Yash Dayal while Rahane remained unbeaten on 86. Iyer took some time to settle down but once he did, he played aggressively. Rahane, on the other hand, played an anchor and was focused on putting a big total on board in the first innings.

Sarfaraz, meanwhile, played the way he always does, hitting a much-needed half-century to remain unbeaten on 54 on Day 1. At 237/4, Mumbai would be hoping to add more to that on Day 2. For Rest of India, they would be disappointed after failing to cash in a good start.