At the competitive game in Kerala, Pondicherry put on an inspired show to wrap up the first day of Tuesday’s Ranji Trophy Game 253-4 here at Sechem Ground.
The visitor was criticized as Pondicherry capitalized on Kerala’s ill-fated bowling through a 151-run unbeaten partnership between Pallas Dogra (117 nos, 254b, 11×4) and Arun Karthik (65 nos, 109b, 5×4, 1×6). It blew the early advantage.
Dogura was the third batsman in his trophy history to hit more than 3000, but Karthik, Pondicherry’s top-run scorer this season, said his rich run scored when the duo turned the day upside down. Continued form.
After putting in Pondicherry, Kerala pacemaker Basil Thampi (his 1 in 42) and he beat M.D. Nidheesh (his 1 in 34) to early success in contrasting ways.
The ball flew off the edge when Thampi found movement in the air. Neyan Kangayan was allowed on his second slip on the second pitch of the day. After several deliveries, Thampi molded one and led the inside edge of Kangayan on his way to the wicketkeeper.
Meanwhile, Nidish preferred to keep his length down, catching Pondicherry’s skipper D. Rohit on a clumsy dive and driving a straight catch to the middle of the leading edge.
Kerala’s trump Jalaj Saxena (51-1) broke through while Thampi and Nidheesh led Jay Pande (38, 128b, 2×4) and Sagar Udeshi with a stubborn outside-out-the-stamp his line and occasional bouncer. bottom. He tested Udeshi’s patience with 12 consecutive point balls before luring in a throw sweep that was intercepted with a square leg from the top edge.
Pande and Dogura stooped after three men were within an hour of him and he lost by 19. After the early morning success, perhaps smugly, the Kerala bowlers helped them. Pacers went too straight wrong and resorted to short ones with short legs in place to wait for indiscretion. His second highest wicket taker in Kerala this season, off-spinner Vaisahu overtook his Chandran debutant Vishweshar His Suresh was not at his best as the saying goes. . He started with two straight no-balls before making a 4 at the end of his first 10 runs.
Shortly thereafter, Quicks’ leg stump line tricks weakened and side leg halves turned into his salvos, some of which were clipped to the limit by Pad. Spinners Saxena and Sijomon Joseph (his one in 41) often threw too much.
Pande’s ejection was against the flow of play, only rattling off the stumps as he hit a fast long ball to his back foot. Karthik was more adaptable and hit the ball with his front foot. He loaded up Saxena and knocked him down for the first shot into the 4 goal in the square leg. Karthick hit his 50th of the 75-ball, a cheeky tickle off the four-stroke pad after hitting his only six on his shot of the day on the tee.
Dogra also took the cue and upped the ante. His stocky build takes on a languid grace, especially on drives and offside cuts. But on Tuesday, a pick-up shot to the mid-wicket boundary and its powerful drive down was punctuated by a lethargy that did not rudely awaken the crowd from an afternoon nap on cricket’s slow-burning, low-scoring day.
BRIEF SCORES
Pondicherry 253/4 in 87 overs (Paras Dogra 117 batting, Arun Karthick 65 batting; M.D. Nidheesh 1/34, Sijomon Joseph 1/41) vs Kerala.