After heavy smog carved away the morning session, Haryana and Kerala played out a combative day of cricket in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Kerala ended the opening day of the fifth-round game at 138 for two, thanks to resolute fifties from opener Rohan Kunnummal and one-down batter Akshay Chandran.
Earlier in the day, pacer Anshul Kamboj validated his captain Ankit Kumar’s decision to bowl first on a lively, greenish pitch by having B Aparajith caught behind in the day’s first over.
Kamboj and his new-ball partner Aman Kumar rarely drifted away from the stumps in the opening spell, forcing Rohan and Akshay to prioritise preservation.
The away team opened up only in the innings’ 10th over, with Rohan cracking two picturesque straight drives against Aman for fours.
The Kerala duo relied largely on some sharp running between the wickets to stave off the new-ball challenge, with the pair scoring only eight fours in their 91-run partnership.
AS IT HAPPENED: Ranji Trophy Highlights, Day 1 Round 5
Rohan was the more assertive of the two, with the 26-year-old committing fully to the forward press, allowing him to drive on the up when Haryana bowlers pitched it up.
From the other end, Akshay stifled the opposition with some assured defending. The cover drive was his go-to release shot, with the left-handed batter employing it to gain boundaries against Haryana pacers, including the one which got him to his fifty.
As the sun finally pierced the dissipating blanket of smog, Haryana’s desire for a breakthrough began inching towards desperation.
Jayant Yadav’s introduction midway through the second session managed to disrupt Kerala’s rhythm. The off-spinner was clever in varying his pace and release angle as he nearly got the better of both batters on multiple occasions.
But Akshay and Rohan persisted with their methods, with the latter soon getting to his fifty by scrambling in a three with an on drive against left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu.
Rohan though was dismissed soon after Tea after Kamboj forced an edge out of him, which was snapped up by a diving Ankit at second slip.
The next batter, Kerala skipper Sachin Baby quickly came to grips with the conditions. The left-hander wasn’t hesitant to use his feet, scoring his first boundary by dancing down the track against Jayant.
Sachin and Akshay saw off the rest of the day, with deteriorating light forcing an early Stumps call.
Comments
SHARE