On the first day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match, Kerala made a commanding start by dismissing Uttar Pradesh for a modest total of 162, thanks largely to Jalaj Saxena’s exceptional five-wicket haul. Kerala, eager to make the most of their home advantage at Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram, saw their seasoned guest player Saxena take control with figures of 5/56, including a key dismissal of veteran player Piyush Chawla. Saxena’s skillful off-spin and pace variations left UP struggling early in the innings.
At lunch, Uttar Pradesh was on shaky ground at 108/7, with Saxena already accounting for crucial batsmen like IPL talent Nitish Rana and team skipper Aryan Juyal. Rana, who scored 25, was stumped by Vishnu Vinod off Saxena’s delivery, while pacer Basil Thampi lent support with two important wickets. Shivam Sharma’s resilient 30 delayed Kerala’s celebration, but he was eventually dismissed by Sarvate, allowing Kerala to finish off UP’s innings at 162 in 60.2 overs.
Under the captaincy of Sachin Baby, Kerala has shown strong form in this season’s Ranji Trophy. They kicked off their campaign with a home victory against Punjab and two away draws marred by rain against Karnataka and Bengal. With a promising start to this match, Kerala looks poised to further strengthen their position in Group C.
