Vidarbha clinches Irani Cup with 93-run win over Rest of India

Vidarbha beat Rest of India by 93 runs to clinch the Irani Cup at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Sunday, completing a dominant display over five days that secured the Ranji champions their third Irani Cup title. Vidarbha posted 342 in the first innings and 232 in the second; Rest of India were dismissed for 214 and 267 in reply, leaving the visitors 361 short.

Atharva Taide's century in Vidarbha's first innings proved pivotal. Taide scored 143 and was named player of the match after a tournament-defining contribution with the bat and a key boundary catch in the final innings. Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar contributed a gritty 36 in the second innings as the hosts built a defendable target on a surface that increasingly favoured spin.

Vidarbha's bowling unit produced the decisive breakthroughs. Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and pacer Yash Thakur each finished with six wickets in the match, with Dubey taking four in the second innings and Thakur two, including a double strike that swung the final session firmly in Vidarbha's favour. Thakur's second-ball burst on the last day included the dismissal of Yash Dhull, who had mounted a determined counterattack for...