Yashasvi Jaiswal, on Wednesday, smashed a double hundred to guide Rest of India to a commanding 381/3 against Madhya Pradesh on the opening day of the Irani Trophy. The tournament is being played in Gwalior starting on the 1st of March.
In the game, the Rest of India captain Mayank Agarwal's performance was underwhelming on the first day as he got dismissed after scoring just 2 runs. However, Jaiswal's double century and his partnership with opener Abhimanyu Easwaran helped their side to register a decent total. Jaiswal scored 213 runs on a batting-friendly pitch, his eighth century in his first-class career. Also, he became the 10th batsman to score a double century in the Irani Trophy.
The Mumbai batsman played 259 balls and hit 30 boundaries and three sixes before returning to the pavilion in the final session of the day. Apart from him, Easwaran scored 17 fours and two sixes in his innings of 154 off 240 balls. This was Easwaran's 22nd century in first-class cricket.
Rest of India captain Mayank Agarwal won the toss and decided to bat first. Agarwal was expected to make a strong case for a comeback in the Indian team by playing a big innings, but he scored only two runs before getting dismissed by Avesh Khan (2 for 51).
Easwaran and Jaiswal took the onus on themselves. Both of them did not let the wicket fall for almost 82 overs and meanwhile scored runs easily. Madhya Pradesh off-spinners Saransh Jain and left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya did not work and struggled in front of the two batters. With their brilliant performances, Jaiswal and Easwaran strengthened their claim for a place in the Indian team.
However, both in-form batters were dismissed by Madhya Pradesh on consecutive balls in the last hour of the day. Fast bowler Avesh Khan broke the partnership in the 85th over of the day by bowling Jaiswal on a good length ball. On the next ball, Easwaran was also run out on a direct throw from Saransh Jain in an attempt to steal a quick run. Baba Indrajit scored three runs before stumps on the first day while Saurabh Kumar is yet to open his account.
