Irani Cup: Skipper Rahane holds fort for Mumbai

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane concentrated hard as his unbeaten 86 off 197 balls took Mumbai to 237/4 against Rest of India on a weather-curtailed opening day of the Irani Cup.

The veteran of 5,000-plus runs in 85 Tests dug deep into his reservoirs of concentration to keep Mumbai on an even keel against an impressive duo of Mukesh Kumar (3/60 in 14 overs) and Yash Dayal (1/46 in 15 overs).

Shreyas Iyer (57 off 84 balls) and Sarfaraz Khan (54 batting, 88 balls) were a tad more adventurous in trying to get a move on in the 68 overs of play possible on Tuesday.

In fact, Rahane played second fiddle during his 102-run fourth-wicket stand with Iyer after Mukesh had reduced them to 37/3 in his first spell.

At stumps, Rahane had the company of Sarfaraz and the duo had 98 runs for the fifth wicket and would like to consolidate on the second day.

Rahane wasn’t exactly very assertive during his stay at the wicket. He has so far hit six fours and a six.

Brief scores: Mumbai: 237/4 in 68 overs (Rahane 86*, Shreyas 57, Sarfaraz 54*; Mukesh 3/60) vs Rest of India.