Brief scores:
Vidarbha 280/5 (Atharva Taide 118*, Yash Rathod 91, Yash Thakur 4*; Manav Suthar 3/64) vs Rest of India.
The Irani Cup 2025 got off to a solid start at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, where hosts Vidarbha finished Day 1 on 280 for 5 after electing to bat first against Rest of India. The day was headlined by Atharva Taide, who scored an unbeaten 118 off 240 balls, anchoring his team's innings and ensuring they held the advantage at stumps.
Vidarbha, the Ranji Trophy champions, backed their batting depth. However, their start was far from ideal as Akash Deep, making his return to competitive cricket after injury, picked early wickets. He removed opener Aman Mokhade for 19 and later added the wicket of captain Akshay Wadkar for just 5, finishing the day with 2 for 35 in 14 overs. Furthermore, Vidarbha suffered a mini-collapse in the morning session when Manav Suthar bagged quick wickets.
Suthar dismissed Dhruv Shorey for 18 and sent back Danish Malewar for a duck in the same over. Following this, Taide and Yash Rathod stitched together a much-needed stand. Rathod looked brilliant, hitting six fours and a six in his 91-run knock. The pair added 184 runs for the fourth wicket.
Rathod eventually fell short of a century, caught for 91 off Suthar’s bowling late in the final session. However, Taide continued his innings, bringing up his century. By stumps, Vidarbha were 280 for 5 in 84 overs, with Taide still unbeaten alongside Yash Thakur (4*). For the Rest of India, only Akash Deep and Manav Suthar chipped in with wickets, while Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, and Saransh Jain all went wicketless.
Heading into Day 2, Vidarbha have the upper hand, thanks to Taide’s unbeaten century and the big partnership with Rathod. With batting still to come, they will look to push past 400. Meanwhile, the Rest of India will hope for early wickets on the second morning to prevent Vidarbha from running away with the advantage.
