Irani Cup: Rajat Patidar hammers gritty fifty vs Vidarbha
What's the story
The Irani Cup, a prestigious First-Class cricket tournament in India, is currently being contested between Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha and Rest of India (ROI) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur ROI skipper Rajat Patidar stood out with a brilliant knock of 66 runs off 125 balls in the second innings. This was a knock of character from Patidar as his team lost regular wickets while responding to Vidarbha's first-innings total of 342/10. Here are his stats.
Performance review
Patidar shines as Gaikwad, Kishan falter
ROI were decently placed at 73/2 when Patidar arrived to bat on Day 2. However, the skipper did not get much support from the other end as wickets fell in a cluster. Patidar held one end and brought up a fine half-century. He went down as the ninth batter as ROI were all out for 214. Meanwhile, two big names, Ishan Kishan (1) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (13), had disappointing outings in the innings.
Stats
27th fifty in FC cricket
Patidar's 66 off 125 balls featured 10 fours. With this innings, he has raced to 5,186 from 72 First-Class matches at an average of over 44. The tally now includes 15 centuries and 27 half-centuries, as per ESPNcricinfo. Earlier this month, Patidar led Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy title. With 382 runs across five innings at 76.40, he finished the competition as the highest run-getter. He was also the only batter with multiple tons (2) in the event.
Ranji success
Patidar's exceptional form in the domestic season
In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, Patidar scored an impressive 529 runs from seven matches at an average and strike rate of 48.09 and 77, respectively. He had three scores of over 50, including a century. Notably, the game against Haryana saw him score the fifth-fastest century in Ranji Trophy history, off just 68 balls. Meanwhile, Patidar has also played three Tests for India, managing just 63 runs at 10.50.