AHMEDABAD: Kerala captain Sachin Baby recorded his first half-century in three months as the visitors showcased a cautious approach in the first innings of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Gujarat. Baby was batting on a resolute 69 (193b; 8x4) as Kerala took stumps at 206/4 on Day One here on Monday.
The watchful attitude was on display from the first ball as Kerala openers Akshay Chandran and Rohan Kunnummal attempted to grind the Gujarat bowlers down after winning the toss and opting to bat.
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Gujarat’s Chintan Gaja and Arzan Nagwaswalla, who usually enjoy success with the new ball, found it tough to get the better of the openers. Luck didn’t seem to be going Gujarat’s way as an LBW call against Kunnummal was overturned following a DRS appeal.
However, the one area of concern in the opening partnership was Kunnummal’s communication with his partner while going for runs, and it came back to haunt Kerala in the form of Chandran’s run out. Chandran (30 off 71 balls) was stranded midway as fielder Aarya Desai took advantage of another mix-up.
One of Kerala’s two debutants, Varun Nayanar, made his way in at No. 3 but seemed uncomfortable. The pressure started building and eventually the lack of runs got the better of Kunnummal (30 off 68), who was trapped leg-before by Ravi Bishnoi.
His dismissal brought Baby to the crease and the Kerala captain brought all his experience to the fore, lending solidity and steadiness to Kerala’s innings.
SCORES:
Kerala 206/4 (S Baby 69*; Bishnoi 1-33, Jadeja 1-33) vs Gujarat.
