Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar
Srinagar, Oct 4: Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar produced a devastating post-lunch spell to claim his 11th first-class five-wicket haul and dismantle Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir, guiding Rest of India to a 167-run victory and a record 31st Irani Cup title here on Sunday.
Chasing 279 on the fourth day at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, J&K suffered a dramatic collapse in the first hour after lunch, slumping from 89/3 to 111 all out in 28.4 overs.
Mukesh was the chief architect of the collapse, returning figures of 6-33 with relentless seam movement and sharp bowling. His match-turning spell included three wickets in four deliveries, leaving the J&K middle-order unable to cope with the pressure.
Bengal teammate Akash Deep provided excellent support in his comeback game, bowling with good pace to finish with 3-25. Mukesh Choudhary claimed the crucial wicket of J&K's danger man Abdul Samad.
Shubham Khajuria (36), Qamran Iqbal (32) and Abdul Samad (20) were the only J&K batters to reach double figures as the rest of the line-up folded against a relentless Rest of India pace attack.
The victory proved to be a memorable birthday present for Rest of India skipper Rishabh Pant, who was down with fever and watched the match from the dugout. Sarfaraz Khan took over as stand-in captain for the fourth innings and guided Rest of India to a convincing victory despite the team conceding a crucial first-innings lead.
Rest of India resumed the day at 306/8 and added only 13 runs before J&K fast bowler Sunil Kumar wrapped up the tail. He dismissed Smaran Ravichandran for 135 off 153 balls, an innings that included 16 fours and five sixes.
Smaran, who had also top-scored for Rest of India with 68 in the first innings, was named Player of the Match.
J&K initially began their 279-run chase with intent but their innings unravelled quickly after Akash Deep dismissed opener Shubham Khajuria with the first ball after lunch. A succession of wickets followed as the hosts struggled against high-quality seam bowling.
J&K had also undermined their own efforts through poor discipline, conceding more than 20 no-balls across the two innings. The extras allowed Rest of India to remain in contention after conceding a first-innings lead, while Smaran's century further shifted the momentum in their favour.
The match ended in three-and-a-half days and exposed areas J&K will need to address, particularly their batting collapse, as they prepare to defend their Ranji Trophy title. J&K will begin their campaign on October 11 against Madhya Pradesh in Srinagar.
Brief scores: Rest of India 237 and 319 in 99.5 overs (Smaran Ravichandran 135, Sanat Sangwan 55; Sunil Kumar 3-56, Sahil Lotra 3-71) beat Jammu and Kashmir 278 and 111 in 28.4 overs (Shubham Khajuria 36, Qamran Iqbal 32; Mukesh Kumar 6-33, Akash Deep 3-25) by 167 runs.