Sarfaraz Khan’s Historic Double Century Leads Mumbai in Irani Cup 2024

Key Performances and Match Scorecard

Mumbai 536 for 9 (Sarfaraz 221*, Rahane 97, Kotian 64, Iyer 57, Mukesh 4-109) vs Rest of India.

Match Analysis

On the second day of the Irani Cup, Sarfaraz Khan crushed the Rest of India (ROI) and became the first-ever Mumbai batter to score a double century. ROI worked away for 138 overs in Lucknow, during which he shared a 131-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (97) for the fifth wicket and a 183-run stand with Tanush Kotian (64) for the seventh wicket.

Mumbai opened the day on 237 for 4. With the new ball less than two overs away, Rahane fell three short of a century to a bouncer from Yash Dayal after Sarfaraz and Rahane had completed the first ten overs of the day.

ROI pursued the ball into the 81st over, and they were soon rewarded when Shams Mulani was trapped by Mukesh Kumar. Kotian began cautiously when he joined Sarfaraz and Mumbai on 280 for 6. Then boundaries started to appear as the two tucked away stray balls.

Rushing in from mid-on, Prasidh Krishna failed to take a difficult opportunity that Sarfaraz had given him on 97* off of Manav Suthar’s bowling. In the subsequent (92nd) over, Sarfaraz mentioned his fifteenth first-class century and the fifty partnership.

Mumbai’s dominance was solidified in the afternoon session with a run rate of 4.27 as they amassed 111 runs off of 26 wicketless overs. With a boundary off each of Suthar and Prasidh in the opening two overs of the session, Sarfaraz set the tone.

In the 105th over, Sarfaraz hit Suthar for a six and a four with the ball just under 25 overs old. Two balls later, Kotian hit Saransh Jain for another six. With considerable ease, Sarfaraz pulled up his 150 and Mumbai their 400. When Kotian completed his fifty, Mumbai was 449 for 6 at the end of the session. Kotian had four boundaries.

After tea, Prasidh struck twice in two balls in the third over, lbw on a slower ball for Kotian and lbw on an inswinger for Mohit Avasthi. However, Sarfaraz, on 186*, was able to bat without worrying about farming the strike thanks to Shardul Thakur’s entrance at No. 10, which demonstrated Mumbai’s batting depth.

Before hitting his double-ton off his 253rd ball in the 127th over, Sarfaraz removed Suthar for a six and a four in back-to-back overs. Previously, Wasim Jaffer, Ravi Shastri, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, all hailing from Mumbai, achieved double hundreds in the Irani Cup, but as representatives of ROI.

Mumbai easily surpassed 500 in the last session, with the physiotherapist, who was frequently on the field in the evening, permitting only 18 overs of play. Sarfaraz denied Mukesh a five-for by overturning a caught-behind call off on 211. Playing off Saransh for 36, Thakur fell against the flow of play in what ended up being the final over of the day.

If the game is tied, Mumbai will have enough points from the first innings to win the trophy.