Mumbai: Wriddhiman Saha’s (203 n o, 272b, 26×4, 6×6) career-best first class knock was the stand-out performance as Rest of India (RoI) lifted the Irani Cup after effortlessly chasing down a 379-run target set by Gujarat with more than two sessions to spare at the Brabourne Stadium here Tuesday. He was well supported by Cheteshwar Pujara (116 n o, 238b, 16×4).
Coming into bat Monday with RoI tottering at 63 for four, the two batted aggressively to put on an unbeaten stand of 316 runs for the fifth wicket to carve out an emphatic victory for their side.
Wicket-keeper Saha and Pujara, unbeaten on 123 and 83 respectively at stumps Monday in a team score of 266 for four, carried on in imperious fashion on the fifth and final morning to steer the team home an hour before lunch in 19.1 overs.
This was 15th time in the last 19 editions that RoI have won the tournament. Saha also created a domestic record of sorts by becoming the first wicket-keeper to score a double hundred in the 55-year-old history of the tournament. The partnership between Pujara and Saha of 316 runs is the second best in the tourney’s history behind the record of 327 runs for the fourth wicket between Ravi Shastri and Praveen Amre for Mumbai against the Rest at Bangalore in the 1990-91 season.
There was a smaller battle within the bigger war being fought during the entire duration of the game. It was between Saha and the man who replaced him for the last two Tests against England – Parthiv Patel. It can be safely said after Saha’s second innings knock, that he has left the Gujarat keeper far behind in the race to the Indian team for the upcoming Australia series.
The winning hit by Pujara, a step-out lofted shot to long-on for his 16th hit to the fence off Hardik Patel, summarised the domination he had on the Gujarat bowling along with Saha. A few minutes earlier Saha had reached his maiden double hundred with a four off Karan Patel.
Pujara later praised Saha’s knock and said when the two joined forces it was the wicketkeeper-batsman who told him he was going after the bowlers to which he concurred and the match-winning triple century partnership ensued.
“Wriddhi’s (Saha) knock was crucial. When we lost four wickets, we needed a big partnership. The way he played, the way he started approaching the innings was fantastic. After a couple of overs he told me ‘I am going to take on the bowlers’. I said, ‘Yes’,” Pujara said after the match. “We needed someone to take on the bowlers and unsettle them, (and) that’s exactly what he did.”
Viru advice helped Wriddhiman prosper
Kolkata: Wriddhiman Saha said Tuesday that Virender Sehwag’s advice helped him to play the match-winning innings against Gujarat in the Irani Trophy final. He also informed that a text message from India head coach Anil Kumble had inspired him greatly.
“Most of the shots that I played in the second innings were lofted. Actually, it was Viru bhai (Sehwag) who once told me that if I can hit a couple of boundaries early in my innings (with lofted strokes), it automatically eases the pressure and also can get the bowlers rattled,” Saha was quoted as saying by a sports-specific website here. “So all I was thinking was to go after the bowlers with lofted strokes,” said the batsman who got out for a duck in the first innings.
Saha also stated that during his time with Kings XI Punjab, Sehwag had always asked him not to curb his natural attacking instinct. “He (Sehwag) suggested to me that I should not curb my natural stroke play. If a ball is there to be hit, I should go after it,” Saha informed.
Wriddhiman has had a tough time in the last couple of months being forced to miss two Tests against England owing to injury. He informed that he has worked hard on his fitness at National Cricket Academy (NCA). Also a text from Kumble made him determined to do well.
“He (Kumble) sent me a text message last night (Monday) reminding me that the job is not yet over. He urged me to finish the match. I am happy that I was able to do so,” the wicket-keeper batsman revealed.
Agencies
