After winning the second successive Ranji Trophy, Vidarbha also claimed a back-to-back Irani Cup after playing a draw against the Rest of India. Vidarbha won the match by the advantage of taking first innings lead and hence they maintained their unbeaten run at the domestic circuit.
Rest of India skipper Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat after winning the toss and scored 330 runs, where Hanuma Vihari scored 114 runs and Mayank Agarwal played 95-run innings. In response, Vidarbha raced to 425 runs and gain a crucial 95-run lead. Akshay Karnewar’s rapid hundred was the reason behind this lead.
Also Read: Vidarbha won their second Ranji Trophy title in a row
ROI tried to best to turn the game despite giving a massive first innings lead. All batsmen put a good show and managed 374 runs on board where Vihari scored (180*) his second century of the match. However, Vidarbha is unstoppable at this moment and their batsmen negotiated any hiccup in claiming yet another trophy. When both skippers shook hands, Vidarbha was 269/5 and was just formalities away from winning the game.
After winning the match, Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal made an announcement during the post-match conversation that the winning amount will be donated to the families of CRPF army officers, who died or got injured in the recent Pulwama attack. The heartwarming step is gaining the praises from all corners.
Here are some stats from the Irani Cup game;
- Hanuma Vihari in Irani Trophy/Cup:
183 vs Vidarbha, 2018
114 vs Vidarbha, 2019
101* vs Vidarbha, 2019
- He is the first player in the history of the tournament to score centuries in three consecutive innings.
Also Read: BCCI announced ROI team for Irani Cup
- Hundreds in each innings of an Irani Trophy/Cup match:
Shikhar Dhawan vs Rajasthan, 2011
Hanuma Vihari vs Vidarbha, 2019
- After Bombay and Karnataka, Vidarbha has now become the third side to successfully defend both their Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup titles.
See the Twitter reaction of Irani Cup 2019:
We will donate the prize money to the CRPF martyrs – Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal #IraniCup pic.twitter.com/4rFUz4NgcW
— Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx) February 16, 2019
Back to back tons for @Hanumavihari. Getting the run registers ringing and how! 👏👏👏 #IraniCup #ROIvVID pic.twitter.com/Q9pjezMlTd
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 15, 2019
Vidarbha win their second consecutive Irani Trophy
Captain Faiz Fazal says they'll donate the prize money to CRPF martyrs#IraniCup pic.twitter.com/3PNSmU2ZEY
— Live Cricket (@SKY_SPORTS8) February 16, 2019
