Vihari turns it around for Rest

Nagpur, February 15 

Hanuma Vihari scripted history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick of hundreds in the Irani Cup, helping Rest of India set Vidarbha a tricky 280-run target here today. Enjoying a good run, the 25-year-old Vihari reached his second hundred of the match with a single down the ground on the fourth day to compete his second century of the match. He had scored 183 for Rest of India during last year’s Irani Cup match against Vidarbha, who retained the Ranji Trophy with another exemplary showing a week back.

Besides Vihari’s fantastic 180, India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane made 87 and Shreyas Iyer raced to a 52-ball 61, helping Rest declare their second innings at 374/3, a day after conceding a big first-innings lead. 

Needing 280 for an outright win, Ranji champions Vidarbha were 37/1 at the close of play, still 243 runs shy of the target with nine wickets in hand. While Akshay Karnewar’s gutsy century on the third day powered Vidarbha to a 95-run first-innings lead, Rest rode on a third-wicket partnership worth 229 runs between Vihari and Rahane to grab the initiative on the penultimate day.

Resuming at an overnight 102/2, Vihari and Rahane not only denied Vidarbha an early breakthrough but also scored at a fast clip to build up a big lead. And even when Rahane fell for 87, there was no respite for the hosts as Iyer came out all firing on all cylinders. He smashed a six and a four off left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate, and then did the same to paceman Rajneesh Gurbani in the next over. 

When left-arm spinner Karnewar came on, Iyer whacked him for another 10 runs to reach his half-century off just 45 balls. Vihari, too, used the long handle to good effect after reaching his 150. He struck 19 fours and four sixes during his 300-ball knock, while Iyer smashed five boundaries and four sixes. — PTI

Brief scores

Rest of India 330 and 374 /3 decl (Vihari 180*, Rahane 87, Iyer 61*; Sarwate 2/141); Vidarbha 425 & 37/1 (Sanjay 17*, Taide 16*)