THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala’s hopes of forcing a win on the last day were not very high, considering the lifeless pitch. Yet, Delhi still needed a big effort to grind out a draw. After being shot out for 142 in the first innings, they continued their good work following on. Runs flowed, bowlers struggled to get breakthroughs and the visitors ended at 395/4 to salvage a point. Kerala got three from this Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match.
Resuming at 142 for one and trailing Kerala’s first innings total by 241 runs, Delhi lost Dhruv Shorey (20), before opener Kunal Chandela (125) and Nitish Rana (114) hit centuries. Both were eventually dismissed, but both captains felt there was no point carrying on and agreed to call off play half an hour after tea.
“It was difficult for the bowlers to extract life from the pitch. How often do you see Jalaj (Saxena) bowl so many overs and pick up so few wickets?” Kerala coach Dav Whatmore said.
All this raised questions whether this was a result-oriented pitch with encouragement for bowlers and batsmen, something that the BCCI wants to see. V Krishnan, the neutral curator who prepared this pitch, said that he laid out a surface to go four days instead of one where a match gets over in three days.
“We prepared a wicket that could last all four days. We saw some poor bowling displays because of which so many runs were scored. The bowlers, spinners in particular, were not able to utilise the conditions,” said Krishnan.
Delhi skipper Shorey said his team had only one goal in mind and that was to ensure one point. “We just needed to bat and bat and that was the message, to not think of anything else. We played some shots and were not over-defensive.”
A local official said the home team was not too thrilled with the pitch after having wanted a turner with help for their spinners.
Although Saxena took six wickets in the first innings, he struggled in the second. Delhi opener Chandela proved to be a tough nut to crack. Although Kerala got Shorey cheaply, Rana and Chandela forged a 118-run partnership. They utilised the placid nature of the pitch. In the first innings, they were guarded and unsure of their approach. After figuring out what was on offer, they were more confident. “We targeted their bowlers and they started bowling here and there. We batted well in the second innings and adapted well,” said Shorey.
For the Kerala bowlers, it was a rewardless toil. “It is true that we are reliant on Saxena. If we had another bowler like him, we would have won the match. Our spinners should have done a better job,” said Kerala skipper Sachin Baby.
Brief scores: Kerala 525/9 decl drew with Delhi 142 & 395/4 (Chandela 125, Rana 114, Saxena 2/119).
Points: Kerala 3, Delhi 1.