Rahul Dravid's dismissal for 121 triggered a mini-collapse as the Rest of India lost Yuvraj Singh and Parthiv Patel in quick succession.
But captain Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble put on the required runs to win the match by three wickets.
Before this match, Ganguly had played in five Irani Trophy games, scoring 144 runs at an average of 16.00. He is yet to score a half-century, with 40 being his highest.