The opening day of the Ranji Trophy match at the Sports Hub, Greenfield Stadium, saw Kerala’s bowlers M.D. Nidheesh and N.P. Basil deliver a spectacular performance. Their masterful combination of swing and bounce decimated Maharashtra’s top order, firmly placing the home side in a dominant position.
Despite the early setbacks, a crucial 122-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Ruturaj Gaikwad (scoring a solid 91 runs off 151 balls, including 11 fours) and Jalaj Saxena (adding 49 runs from 106 balls, with 4 fours) provided much-needed stability. They managed to steer Maharashtra from a perilous 18 for five to a total of 179 for seven before bad light and rain brought an early end to play, just 37 minutes after tea.
Early Breakthroughs
Kerala captain Mohammed Azharuddeen’s decision to field first proved to be a masterstroke. Handing the new ball to M.D. Nidheesh, the medium-pacer immediately justified the faith, trapping Prithvi Shaw for a duck with a sharp inswinger. In the very first over, Siddesh Veer also fell for naught, nicking a catch to Azharuddeen behind the stumps, leaving Maharashtra reeling at zero for two.
Basil, showcasing his impressive form, celebrating a wicket.
N.P. Basil then stepped up, extracting bounce that found the edge of Arshin Kulkarni’s bat, cleanly caught by a diving Rohan Kunnummal at second slip, also for a duck. Basil continued his assault, dislodging captain Ankit Bawne (0) with an unfortunate play-on, reducing Maharashtra to a dismal 5 for four. Not to be outdone, Nidheesh, benefiting from his improved inswingers this season, trapped Saurabh Nawale leg before wicket, completing a devastating spell that saw Maharashtra crumble to 18 for five.
A Glimmer of Hope
Jalaj Saxena, facing his former teammates, displayed an aggressive approach at the crease. He and Gaikwad capitalized on the improving batting conditions after the initial hour of play, steadily building their partnership and frustrating Kerala’s attack.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s resilient knock of 91 runs for Maharashtra.
Ruturaj elegantly reached his half-century with consecutive boundaries off Eden Apple Tom, executing a beautiful cover drive and a square cut. But just as Maharashtra seemed to be finding its footing, Nidheesh struck again, delivering a sharp inswinger that trapped Jalaj Saxena plumb in front, ending his determined innings at 49.
Eden Apple Tom, having recovered from an initial erratic spell, finally found his rhythm to claim the crucial wicket of Ruturaj, dismissing him against the flow of play. Ruturaj was caught a little late, as the ball crashed into his pads. With daylight fading quickly, the umpires were forced to call an early close to play, leaving Vicky Ostwal (10) and Ramakrishna Ghosh (11) at the crease.
Summary of Scores:
Maharashtra — 1st Innings: Prithvi Shaw lbw b Nidheesh 0, Arshin Kulkarni c Rohan b Basil 0, Siddhesh Veer c Azharuddeen b Nidheesh 0, Ruturaj Gaikwad lbw b Eden 91, Ankit Bawne b Basil 0, Saurabh Nawale lbw b Nidheesh 12, Jalaj Saxena lbw b Nidheesh 49, Vicky Ostwal (batting) 10, Ramakrishna Ghosh (batting) 11; Extras (leg byes-1, wides-5): 6; Total (for seven wickets in 59 overs): 179.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-5, 5-18, 6-140, 7-164.
Kerala Bowling: Nidheesh 15-5-42-4, Basil 15-6-44-2, Eden 9-1-38-1, Ankit 13-2-33-0, Aparajith 3-0-8-0, Akshay 4-0-13-0.
Toss: Kerala won the toss and elected to field.