Irani Cup 2023, Day 1 Review: Sai Sudharsan stands tall against dominant Saurashtra

In the final of the Irani Cup 2023, left-arm spinner Parth Bhut wreaked havoc and picked up four wickets to completely derail the Rest of India’s batting unit on Day 1. Youngster Sai Sudharsan was the lone warrior for the batting side as he scored a gritty 72 off 164 to build some momentum in their favour. Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari were supporting him well in the middle but neither of them managed to convert their starts as they hit 32 and 33 runs respectively.

KS Bharat and Shams Mulani too tried their best to build a strong total but it got difficult for them as the Saurashtra spinners were all over them. Parth managed to dismiss the dangerous Sudharsan, Hanuma Vihari, Yash Dhull and KS Bharat while Yuvrajsinh Dodiya and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja supported him well with two wickets each on Day 1.

Skipper Jaydev Unadkat too did a remarkable job with the new ball. The left-arm pacer bowled at an economy rate of 1.80, while Chirag Jani supported him well in the middle. Meanwhile, the Rest of India posted 298 runs with the loss of eight wickets on Day 1. The Hanuma Vihari-led side will aim to continue add a few more their tally on Day 2.

On the other hand, Saurashtra will be aiming to pick up two wickets early in the morning in order to get some mental advantage. They have some quality batters in the mix in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara, Chirag, Sheldon Jackson and Prerak Mankad, who can prove to be extremely valuable with.

Meanwhile, Day 1 definitely belonged to Sudharsan for his mature knock. Despite wickets falling from one end, the 21-year-old kept going and managed to give a good start, which the middle order batters later capitalized upon. However, Sarfaraz Khan, who is one of the favourites to make it to the Test side, failed to deliver as he walked back to the pavilion after scoring 17 runs.