Jalaj Saxena, now a key player for Maharashtra, found himself in a familiar situation, reminiscent of his previous season’s encounters with Kerala’s Salman Nizar. As Salman, batting with the lower order, began to stage a comeback, Jalaj recalled the left-hander’s past heroics. After a brief but intense discussion with his captain, a strategic nine-man fielding cordon was set along the boundary.
The tactical move paid off almost immediately. Jalaj erupted in celebration after dismissing Salman (49), who was caught at backward point attempting a slash off Mukesh Choudhary. This crucial wicket brought Kerala’s innings to a close at 219, just 20 runs shy of Maharashtra’s first-innings total.
By the time bad light prematurely ended play an hour before schedule, Maharashtra had further extended their lead to 71 runs, reaching 51 for no loss in their second innings. Openers Prithvi Shaw (37*) and Arshin Kulkarni (14*) displayed composure, ensuring the visitors navigated the challenging conditions without losing any wickets.
Throughout their first innings, Kerala’s batsmen struggled to convert promising starts into significant scores, largely due to Maharashtra’s disciplined bowling attack. Captain Sanju Samson offered a glimmer of hope with a well-composed 54, but his dismissal came at an unfortunate moment, bottom-edging a delivery from left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal to wicketkeeper Saurabh Nawale.
Samson’s innings began with aggressive intent, including a powerful six over mid-wicket off Jalaj and a crisp square-drive against Rajneesh Gurbani. He formed a 40-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Sachin Baby, who was playing in his 100th Ranji match.
However, Baby’s tenure (seven runs) was cut short by a sharp catch from Saurabh Nawale off medium-pacer Ramakrishna Ghosh. Mohammed Azharuddeen (36) then played a fluent innings, featuring several well-timed drives, and shared a 57-run stand with Samson for the fifth wicket. Yet, both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession, shifting momentum firmly back to Maharashtra.
Salman Nizar, alongside Ankit Sharma, mounted another fightback, adding 49 runs for the seventh wicket. But Ankit (17) eventually nicked a Jalaj delivery to Saurabh. With only the tailenders left, Salman found himself isolated. Edhen Apple Tom (3) was bounced out by Mukesh, and M.D. Nidheesh (4) was lured out of his crease by Jalaj, preventing Salman from repeating his past heroics and forcing Kerala to concede the first-innings lead.
Match Summary:
Maharashtra — 1st innings: 239 runs.
Kerala — 1st innings: Akshay Chandran lbw Gurbani 0, Rohan S. Kunnummal lbw b Jalaj 27, B. Aparajith c & b Gurbani 6, Sachin Baby c Saurabh b Ghosh 7; Sanju Samson c Saurabh b Ostwal 54, Mohammed Azharuddeen c Saurabh b Ostwal 36, Salman Nizar c Jalaj b Mukesh 49, Ankit Sharma c Saurabh b Jalaj 17, Edhen Apple Tom c Saurabh b Mukesh 3, M.D. Nidheesh st Saurabh b Jalaj 4, N.P. Basil not out 0. Extras (b-5, lb-4, w-7): 16; Total (in 63.2 overs): 219.
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-35, 3-35, 4-75, 5-132, 6-141, 7-190, 8-203, 9-208.
Maharashtra bowling: Mukesh 15.2-2-57-2, Gurbani 12-0-49-2, Jalaj 16-2-46-3, Ramakrishna Ghosh 4-0-19-1, Arshin 3-0-14-0, Ostwal 13-4-25-2.
Maharashtra — 2nd innings: Prithvi Shaw (batting) 37, Arshin Kulkarni (batting 14), Total (for no loss in 9 overs): 51.
Kerala bowling: Nidheesh 3-0-21-0, Ankit 4-0-19-0, Akshay 1-0-6-0, Basil 1-0-5-0.