Centuries from Jaiswal and Easwaran off to a great start for Rest of India
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double hundred and his 371-run second-wicket partnership with opener Abhimanyu Easwaran helped Rest of India post 381 for three against last season’s Ranji champions Madhya Pradesh on the opening day of their Irani Trophy cricket match here on Wednesday. Make runs Jaiswal scored 213 runs on a batting-friendly pitch, his eighth century in his first-class career. The Mumbai batsman played 259 balls and hit 30 fours and three sixes before returning to the pavilion in the final session of the day.
Easwaran, playing for Bengal, 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 here, but he scored only two runs in the third over, caught by wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri off the bowling of Avesh Khan (2 for 51). Sitting
Ishwaran and Jaiswal handled the responsibility well from here. Both of them did not let the wicket fall for almost 82 overs and meanwhile scored runs easily. In front of these two, both the main spinners of Madhya Pradesh, off-spinner Saransh Jain and left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya did not work. Jaiswal and Easwaran strengthened their claim for a place in the Indian team with these innings. Both these batsmen have played some fine innings this season, due to which they are being considered as contenders for a place in the national team.
Madhya Pradesh heaved a sigh of relief by dismissing both of them in 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 by Saransh Jain in an attempt to steal a quick run. Baba Indrajit was playing on three runs at the time of uprooting while Saurabh Kumar is yet to open the account.
