Kerala pacers push MP on the back foot on Day 3

Indore: Kerala tightened their hold on the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Holkar Stadium, finishing Day 3 at a strong 226 for 3 in their second innings on Tuesday, stretching their lead to 315 runs after securing a 89-run advantage earlier in the day.Madhya Pradesh, resuming with hopes of narrowing the deficit, were dismissed for 192 early in the day. Saransh Jain stood out with a determined 67 before falling to MD Nidheesh. Kerala's attack worked with purpose through the morning. Sreehari Nair claimed his first wicket with a well-directed ball that beat Kumar Kartikeya, while Eden Apple Tom struck twice in quick order to remove Aryan Pandey and Arshad Khan leg before, leaving MP's lower order exposed.Kerala's second innings began steadily. Rohan Kunnummal fell early to a leg before wicket call against Kartikeya, and MP suffered a setback when Aryan Pandey walked off injured after bowling two overs. The visitors moved to 22 for 1 at lunch.The afternoon belonged to Abhishek Nair and Sachin Baby, who added important runs with calm strokes and sharp running. Baby's sweep past square leg brought up the fifty stand. Nair's promising stay ended on 34 when he offered a simple catch off to Kuldeep Sen. Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen fell soon after. Baba Aparajith joined Baby and the pair eased Kerala into a position of control, both reaching their half centuries with composed batting. They carried the innings through without further trouble, guiding Kerala to a commanding score as the day closed, leaving Madhya Pradesh needing something extraordinary to force their way back into the contest.

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