Image credit: BCCI Domestic
Chasing 279, J&K were 65/2 when Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar urged stand-in RoI captain Sarfaraz Khan — regular skipper Rishabh Pant was on the sidelines with fever — to give him one more over. Mukesh made it count. The defining moment of the Irani Cup clash between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir and Rest of India came on Sunday at the Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium.
In the 13th over, he trapped Shubham Pundir lbw for 9 with a delivery that jagged back in, with Sarfaraz taking a successful review after the umpire had ruled it not out. He then bowled J&K captain Paras Dogra, their first-innings top-scorer with 75, with a sharp delivery that crashed into middle stump after Dogra played inside the line. With Mukesh and Akash Deep operating at full tilt, RoI bowled J&K out for 111 in 28.4 overs to complete a thumping 167-run win and claim the Irani Cup for the 33rd time — their first title since the 2023-24 season. For Mukesh, match figures of 8/121 on a seaming surface were a timely reminder to the national selectors of his ability to exploit helpful conditions, especially with India’s New Zealand tour ahead. Akash Deep, too, strengthened his case, finishing with match figures of 6/78 after taking 3/43 in the first innings. 6 batter was rightly named Player of the Match for his superb knocks of 68 and 135, the second innings century proving decisive in setting up the win.
That double blow broke the chase. RoI’s biggest match-winner, however, was Ravichandran Smaran. The No.