The rest of India falters against Saurashtra on Day 1 of the Irani Cup.

On Day 1 of the Irani Cup versus Saurashtra in Rajkot on Sunday, the rest of India came up short. The Rest of India were in a solid position at 138/1 after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, but they continued to lose wickets and ended the innings at 298/8.

Parth Bhut, a left-arm orthodox, scored 4/85 for Saurashtra, pushing the rest of India back. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, a fellow left-arm spinner, and Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, an off-spinner, each contributed two wickets, while opener Sai Sudharsan led the rest of India in scoring with 72.

The opening pair for the Rest of India, Sudharsan and Mayank Agarwal, put on a 69-run partnership to get them off to a strong start on the flat and good for batting Rajkot ground. Sudharsan and captain Hanuma Vihari (33) helped Rest of India advance after Mayank was dismissed by Jadeja with another 69-run partnership for the second wicket.

Bhut defended the defending Ranji Trophy champions when it mattered most, dismissing Vihari and Sudharsan in quick succession to bring Rest of India to 161/3. Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dhull left swiftly, leaving the rest of India at 183 with only half of their team remaining.

This was another chance Sarfaraz missed to make an impression on the national selections. The Mumbai batsman had also performed poorly in the Duleep Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy; his highest total in his eight innings since July was 48.

If the rest of India wants to avoid a significant first innings deficit, they must regroup and make a great comeback on Day 2.