India beat Saurashtra by 175 runs as Saurabh Kumar took 6
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar was virtually unplayable on a raging turner, returning with a match-haul of 10 wickets as the Rest of India grinded Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra by 175 runs inside three days to win the Irani Cup here on Tuesday.
Around 21 wickets fell on the day, with Saurashtra being shot out for 79 in just 34.3 overs in pursuit of a near impossible target of 255, which would have taken a Herculean effort on this track.
Saurabh, who has been a regular India A spinner had match figures of 10/108, and his effort trumped the opposition's Parth Bhut, who finished on the losing side despite taking 12/147. This was a game where left-arm spinners from either side accounted for 33 of the 40 wickets.
The third day started with Saurashtra resuming their first innings at 212 for 9 and being soon all-out for 214, leaving RoI with a decisive first-inning lead of 94.
On a track where survival was difficult, a lead of near 100 was as good as 250 on any other surface.
The rest of India, in their second innings, also struggled and were all-out for 160, losing their last nine wickets for 43 runs.