The start of play in Lucknow was delayed due to a wet outfield, similar to the situation in Kanpur. A slight amount of moisture on the pitch led Ruturaj Gaikwad to opt to bowl first, a decision that may have turned out to be a mistake. After the first hour, the moisture evaporated, and the pitch dried out, becoming favourable for batting, which allowed the current Ranji champions to take full advantage of the ideal conditions. With half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shreyas Iyer, Mumbai posted 237/4 at stumps on Day 1 of the Irani Cup 2024.
The fresh wicket, with a hint of moisture, helped Rest of India pacer Mukesh Kumar make an immediate impact with the new ball. Both Prithvi Shaw and Hardik Tamore were dismissed after nicking off to Mukesh, who expertly got the new ball to nip away. Shaw was caught thanks to a stunning right-handed catch by Devdutt Padikkal in the slips, while Tamore found himself caught in the corridor of uncertainty.
Mukesh, known for his ability to move the ball off the seam, found early swing and bowled tight lines, forcing the Mumbai batters to play defensively. Ayush Mhatre looked solid for his 19 before skewing one up in the air.
Inside 12 overs, Mumbai’s top order had been blown away by Mukesh’s fiery and accurate spell. A partnership was essential to get Mumbai back on track, and the experienced duo of Rahane and Iyer did just that. They faced tough moments but managed to hang in. As the sun came out and the pitch eased, it became the Rahane-Iyer show.
The Rest of India bowlers, especially the pacers like Mukesh and Prasidh, worked hard and managed to extract some movement. Prasidh bowled well in patches, while Yash Dayal found some late swing with the old ball coming around the wicket.
Rahane, as patient as ever, respected the new ball and played it out. Once the ball softened, he shifted gears, capitalising on loose deliveries to find the boundary while rotating the strike with singles. The Mumbai captain was in full control and will look to build on his innings tomorrow.
Iyer, meanwhile, played some of his trademark flashy drives but showed discipline against the short ball. Both reached their fifties before Iyer unfortunately chased a wide delivery and was caught at cover—a shot he will regret. Once again, he failed to convert a start into a big score. Yash Dayal, reintroduced into the attack, made the crucial breakthrough by breaking the 102-run partnership.
Despite not batting for the last two weeks, Sarfaraz showed no signs of rust. In fact, he walked in as if he had been batting for days. His class was evident as he gave the Rest of India bowlers no chances. He dominated the off-side, playing cuts and late cuts against both pace and spin. The 26-year-old complemented his captain well, allowing another partnership to build. For Rest of India, their pacers toiled without creating many opportunities. There was little on offer for the spinners, which explains why Saransh Jain and Manav Suthar went wicketless today. Towards the end of the day, Suthar bowled negative lines to induce a false shot, but Rahane calmly used his pad to block any potential success.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 237/4 (Ajinkya Rahane 86*, Sarfaraz Khan 54*; Mukesh Kumar 3/60) vs Rest of India.