Rishabh Pant had a memorable reason to celebrate after Rest of India secured the Irani Cup 2026 title with a commanding victory over Jammu & Kashmir. The wicketkeeper-batter turned 29 on October 4, and his teammates marked the occasion with a cake-cutting celebration after their triumph.
Pant was unable to take the field on the fourth day because of a high fever, with Sarfaraz Khan taking over as stand-in captain in his absence. However, the India star was present with the team as they celebrated their title-winning performance, making the occasion even more special for the Rest of India camp.
Rishabh Pant celebrates birthday with Rest of India teammates
The video of the celebration showed Pant cutting his birthday cake alongside his teammates and members of the coaching staff. The players gathered around their captain, cheering and wishing him on his special day after completing a convincing victory in the Irani Cup. Pant first fed a piece of cake to batting coach Laxmiratan Shukla before sharing it with the other members of the team.
His teammates also joined in by feeding him cake, with pacers Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary among the prominent players seen in the celebratory video. The birthday celebration added to the joy of Rest of Indiaโs title triumph, with the players enjoying a special moment after wrapping up the contest against the Ranji Trophy champions.
Hereโs the video:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐
Fighting till the very end ๐ช
Backed by a spectacular team effort ๐คRaw emotions on display inside the victorious Rest of India huddle ft. @RishabhPant17 ๐ โ By @jigsactin #IraniCup | @mflone_ pic.twitter.com/GqOp5vnwIV
โ BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 4, 2026
Also READ: Smaran Ravichandran, Mukesh Kumar star as Rest of India crush Jammu & Kashmir to win Irani Cup 2026
Rest of India seal Irani Cup title after dramatic final-day collapse
Rest of India posted 237 in their first innings, with Ravichandran Smaran top-scoring with 68. Jammu & Kashmir responded strongly through Shubham Dograโs 75 and took a 41-run first-innings lead after reaching 278, despite Mukesh Choudhary claiming five wickets for 78 runs. Smaran then produced the defining innings of the match in the second innings, smashing 135 to help Rest of India reach 319.
The total set Jammu & Kashmir a target of 279 and put the visitors in a strong position heading into the final stages. The chase initially appeared to be under control, but Jammu & Kashmir suffered a dramatic collapse on the final day. They lost their last seven wickets for just 22 runs and were eventually bowled out for 111 in 28.4 overs.
Mukesh Kumar led the demolition with a sensational 6/33, while Akash Deep chipped in with 3/25. Rest of India therefore secured a 167-run victory and lifted their 31st Irani Cup title, with Smaran named Player of the Match for his outstanding contribution across both innings. Sarfaraz also deserves credit for guiding the side on the field as stand-in captain after Pantโs absence on Day 4.
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