A hard-fought day of red-ball cricket was seen at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Currently, the game is quite balanced. However, the Rest of India team might be feeling a bit more content because the pitch has been favouring spinners’ right from the beginning of the match.
Mayank and Vihari couldn’t capitalize on their good starts; Sudharsan managed to keep the runs coming and reached a well-deserved fifty. Unfortunately, Jadeja dismissed him with a clever piece of bowling. Following that, the hosts managed to take a couple of quick wickets, bringing them back into the contest. However, a positive partnership of 59 runs between Bharat and Mulani for the sixth wicket gave the visiting team a valuable boost in momentum. Additionally, a productive partnership between Saurabh and Pulkit lower down the order pushed the Rest of India (ROI) closer to the 300-run milestone. Parth Bhut was the standout bowler for the hosts, claiming four wickets.
Earlier, in the morning, Rest of India skipper Hanuma Vihari won the toss and opted to bat first. Both the openers of ROI played positive cricket. Openers Mayank Agarwal (32, 53b, 6×4) and Sai Sudharsan (72, 164b, 7×4) gathered 69 runs off 112 balls. In his innings, Mayank showcased his batting prowess by executing various shots like square drives, cover drives, inside-out shots, sweeps, and aggressive moves down the track, resulting in six boundaries. Sudharsan was largely assured. He barely swept and stepped out of the crease.
The spinners proved to be more effective in the second session, which yielded four wickets for 79 runs off 30 overs. At the end of the play, ROI scored 298 for 8. Parth Bhut was the most successful bowler for Saurashtra, as he picked up four important wickets.
