The 1995–96 Irani Cup was a first-class cricket match played between the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Bombay, and a Rest of India team composed of players from other Indian state teams. It was part of the annual Irani Trophy series organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bombay won the match by nine wickets to retain the trophy.
Venue and date
The match was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay (present-day Mumbai). Sources differ slightly on the exact dates: the Wikipedia article on the fixture gives 1–3 October 1995, while ESPNcricinfo records the match as having been played from 2 to 4 October 1995 as a scheduled five-day match. The match ended inside three days.
Officials and toss
The umpires were Srinivas Venkataraghavan and V. K. Ramaswamy. Rest of India won the toss and elected to bat first.
Teams and captains
Bombay, the Ranji Trophy champions, were captained by Sachin Tendulkar. Rest of India were captained by wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia.
Scorecard summary
| Team | 1st innings | 2nd innings |
|---|---|---|
| Rest of India | 99 (41.1 overs) | 186 (78.5 overs) |
| Bombay | 266 (78.3 overs) | 20/1 (6.4 overs) |
- Rest of India 1st innings – 99: Nayan Mongia top-scored with 23. Paras Mhambrey took 5 wickets for 20 runs.
- Bombay 1st innings – 266: Vinod Kambli scored 112. Venkatesh Prasad took 4 wickets for 75 runs.
- Rest of India 2nd innings – 186: Surendra Bhave top-scored with 44; Paras Mhambrey took 3 wickets for 35 runs. Sridharan Sharath retired hurt on 19.
- Bombay 2nd innings – 20/1: Chasing a target of 20, Bombay reached the total in 6.4 overs, with Sanjay Manjrekar unbeaten on 12.
Result
Bombay won by nine wickets, thereby retaining the Irani Cup. The match was dominated by Bombay's bowling in the first innings and Kambli's century, which proved decisive in establishing a substantial first-innings lead.
Context
The Irani Trophy is an annual one-off first-class fixture, instituted in 1959–60 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy and named after Zal R. Irani, a long-serving BCCI president and treasurer. From 1965–66 to 2012–13 it traditionally opened the Indian domestic season. In the 1995–96 edition, the defending Ranji Trophy champions were Bombay, who had won the 1994–95 Ranji Trophy.
Notes on sourcing
The result (Bombay victory) is consistent across multiple sources, including ESPNcricinfo, the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, and Wikipedia. Minor variations exist between sources regarding the precise match dates, which are noted above rather than reconciled.
