Jharkhand ride Nadeem and Singh show to seize momentum against Kerala

Ranchi: One is a veteran of Jharkhand cricket. The other does not have his seniority but has come out strong for the team on multiple occasions.
And on Tuesday, the double spin attack of Shahbaz Nadeem and Utkarsh Singh gave hosts Jharkhand a strong start to their Ranji Trophy campaign as Kerala ended their day at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium on 276 for the loss of six wickets.
The spin twins shared five wickets between them as Kerala failed to convert their strong start to the day. Left-arm spinner Nadeem took the key wickets of Sanju Samson (72) and Rohan Kunnummal (50) en route 3/108, while off-spinner Singh ended the dogged resistance of Rohan Prem (79 off 201 balls) in his 2/43 as Jharkhand seized some late momentum going into the second day.
Promising opener Kunnummal continued his fine form to slam one six and five boundaries in his 71-ball 50. He and Rohan Prem put on a strong opening stand of 90 after electing to bat. But Nadeem gave the breakthrough, trapping Kunnummal leg before on 50, as Kerala went on to lose three wickets for the addition of just eight runs on either side of lunch break. Prem was at his resolute best but Singh cleaned him up just after the tea break.
Brief scores: Kerala 276/6 in 90 overs (R Prem 79, S Samson 72, R Kunnummal 50; Nadeem 3-108, Singh 2-43) vs Jharkhand. Match to continue.