Kerala’s gritty lower-order batting, led by captain Sachin Baby and Salman Nizar, put them in a commanding position against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match at the KCA-St. Xavier’s College ground.
After resuming on 105 for four, Kerala lost Baba Aparajith and Aditya Sarwate cheaply to Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm spinner Shivam Sharma. However, Baby and Akshay Chandran steadied the innings with a 63-run stand for the fifth wicket.
When Chandran fell, Baby found an ideal ally in Nizar, who curbed his natural flamboyance to play a patient innings. The duo navigated the challenging track, using the depth of the crease and stepping out to loft the ball over the infield.
Baby and Nizar’s 99-run partnership for the sixth wicket put Kerala in control. Baby eventually fell for 83, trapped in front by Shivam Mavi, but Jalaj Saxena continued the resistance with a fluent 35.
Nizar remained unbeaten on 74, hitting sixes and fours off leg spinner Piyush Chawla to signal Kerala’s intent for the third day. Mohammed Azharuddeen also contributed with an unbeaten 11, ensuring Kerala reached 340 for seven at stumps.
Uttar Pradesh’s bowlers toiled hard, with Shivam Sharma taking two wickets and Saurabh Kumar, Aaqib Khan, and Chawla claiming one each. However, Kerala’s lower-order resilience proved too much to overcome.
