Irani Cup 2023: Rest of India beat MP to retain Irani Cup ; Stats, Top Performers, Player of the Match

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Rest of India thrashed Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs to retain the prestigious Irani Cup on Sunday in Gwalior.

Chasing a near-impossible 437 for victory, MP were bowled out for 198 in 58.4 overs as the match ended during the opening session of the fifth day. With the so-called result-oriented and under-prepared pitches for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy receiving a lot of flak, the Gwalior track was a throwback to the days when there used to be help for every department of the game.

There were four tons scored in the match, 40 wickets fell and pacers and spinners had equal say during the course of the game. A case in point is the MP second innings where the pacers and spinners shared five wickets apiece. Seamers Mukesh Kumar (2/34), Atit Sheth (2/37) and Navdeep Saini (1/34) blew away the MP top-order while off-spinner Pulkit Narang (2/27) and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar (3/60) took advantage of the deteriorating surface to mop up the lower middle-order and tail. In the morning, MP skipper Himanshu Mantri (51) got a raw deal from umpire Rohan Pandit, who raised his finger when the batter hadn't actually nicked one behind the stumps.

MP lost wickets at regular intervals as first-innings centurion Yash Dubey got a lethal in-cutter from Mukesh Kumar and was cleaned up in the process. There was no let-up in intensity from the Rest of India's bowlers and MP didn't even have the remotest chance to make a match of it.

Irani Cup 2023 Player of the Match:

Yashasvi Jaiswal with 357 runs across two innings (213 and 144) was the showstopper and was awarded as the player of the match.

"If I would have remained not out (on Day 1) I would have gotten a 300 and that would have been better," Jaiswal said after the match. He praised opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (154), with whom he shared a triple hundred-plus stand.

"I had an experienced partner in Easwaran and it was amazing to bat alongside him," the southpaw said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Irani Cup 2023 Stats and Top Performers:

Here are the top performers of the Irani Cup this year.

Top Run-Scorers of Irani Cup 2023:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (ROI) - 357 runs

2. Abhimanyu Easwaran (ROI) - 182 runs

3. Yash Dubey (MP) - 117 runs

Top Wicket takers of Irani Cup 2023:

1. Pukit Narang (ROI) - 6 wickets

2. Avesh Khan (MP) - 6 wickets

3. Mukesh Kumar (ROI) - 4 wickets

Highest Individuals Runs of Irani Cup 2023:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (ROI) - 213 runs off 259 balls

2. Abhimanyu Easwaran (ROI) - 154 runs off 240 balls

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal (ROI) - 144 runs off 157 balls

Best Bowling Figures of Irani Cup 2023:

1. Pulkit Narang (ROI) - 4/65

2. Avesh Khan - 4/74

3. Navdeep Saini - 3/56