The second day of the Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Punjab at the KCA-St.Xavier’s College ground was marred by delays due to a wet outfield and a stubborn tenth-wicket stand. Despite the early promise of a Kerala victory, the visitors managed to frustrate their hosts, reaching 180/9 at stumps.
Rain on the first day had already washed out two sessions, setting the tone for a frustrating encounter. The second day started with further delays as the outfield remained wet, despite the absence of rain. The sun wasn’t bright enough to dry the wet patches near the side screen, forcing umpires S. Ravi and Ullas Gandhe to postpone the start. Eventually, play commenced at 2.45 p.m., with a bright sky overhead.
Kerala made early inroads, with Aditya Sarwate, making his debut for the state, taking a five-wicket haul (5/59). However, the visitors’ last wicket pair of Mayank Markande and Siddharth Kaul proved to be a thorn in Kerala’s side, adding a crucial 37 runs in 15 overs. This partnership allowed Punjab to progress from 143/9 to 180, with no further wickets falling.
Adding to Kerala’s frustration was a dropped catch by Basil Thampi, who failed to hold onto a simple chance offered by Siddharth Kaul when the batter was on nine. This was the second catch dropped by Kerala on the truncated day, with captain Sachin Baby having earlier spilled a catch offered by Ramandeep Singh off Sarwate in the second over. This miss didn’t prove costly as Ramandeep Singh (43) threw away his wicket soon after while trying to dominate Sarwate.
Ramandeep charged down the track to Sarwate and was stumped by Azharuddeen. The sixth wicket partnership between Ramandeep and debutant Krish Bhagat (15) yielded 50 runs before the latter edged a catch to Azharuddeen off Jalaj Saxena. Gurnoor Brar (14) struck a towering six off Jalaj but was then bowled by a ball that kept low. Punjab’s third debutant, Emanjot, hit a tame return catch to Sarwate, leaving Punjab at 143/9. However, Mayank and Siddharth pinch-hit their way to crucial runs for the last wicket, frustrating Kerala’s bowling attack with their dogged defense and occasional big blows.
The delay and the last-wicket stand ultimately kept Punjab in the game, leaving Kerala with much to ponder on day three.
