Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary couldn’t hide his disappointment after Sanju Samson won the toss for the first time this season. There was a cry of anguish from Tiwary as Kerala opted to bat in the Ranji Trophy match at the St. Xavier’s College ground here on Friday.
There was bounce and slow turn for the spinners on the first day, but another obdurate century by the reliable Sachin Baby (110 batting) and his unbroken 153-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Akshay Chandran (76 batting) carried Kerala to a comfortable 265 for four at stumps on the first day.
Kerala was 112 for four when Akshay joined Baby soon after lunch. Shahbaz Ahmed had just found the outside edge of skipper Samon’s (8) bat with Tiwary completing a neat catch at first slip. Sanju never looked comfortable during his stay.
