WAYANAD: Within just three overs of the
Ranji Trophy semifinal, the home supporters started getting jitters. A lot had happened in the short period. Kerala were sent in to bat by Vidarbha. The ball was shooting off from good length and there was swing too.
Sitting with 100-odd home team supporters, Francis stood out with his loud cheer as well advice directed towards Kerala batsmen. As
Umesh Yadav readied for his second over, Francis, at the top of his voice, shouted, "Don't play Umesh, play the ball". Francis, a psychologist in his fifties, knows a thing or two about the havoc that can play inside an intimidated mind. But opener, Mohammed Azharuddeen, and six other Kerala batsmen after him failed to pay heed to the advice.
The India pacer snapped up 7-48, his best First Class show, to bowl out Kerala for 106 inside the first session of Day 1 at Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad. By the end of Thursday, Vidarbha were on top of the match having posted 171 for 5. Though Vidarbha lost two crucial wickets – that
Faiz Fazal, who scored a fighting 75, and Atharva Taide –the lead of 65 runs looks like gold dust on this tricky surface.
Yes, the pitch was fast and nippy. But it wasn't as nightmarish as the first innings total of 106 suggests. The Kerala batsmen, it looked, lacked the wherewithal to cope against one of country's fastest bowlers, who is desperate to get his mojo back. The top three of the Kerala line-up – Azharuddeen, Sijomon Joseph and Vinoop Manoharan – all have First Class average of below 35.
Yadav accounted for all of the three in his first five over. From the other end,
Rajneesh Gurbani removed the opener, P Rahul, as Kerala collapsed to 28 for 4 by the 10th over. Azharuddeen was beaten by pace as he miscued a flick to spoon a simple catch to Yash Thakur at mid-on. Kerala No. 3, Joseph, who averages just about 16, wasn't able to either duck or sway away from a Yadav ripper that just shot off after pitching. The ball hit the handle of the bat and Sanjay took an easy catch at first slip.
Gurbani, after hitting Rahul in the ribs on a couple of occasions, induced an edge off the opener with Faiz completing the job at second slip in the ninth over. Few balls later, Faiz was in action again as he pouched a catch offered by Manoharan off the bowling of Yadav. In his sixth over, Yadav got his fourth wicket as KB Arun Karthick couldn't do much but edge a snorter to wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar.
By the first drinks break, half of the Kerala line-up was back in the pavilion with just 43 on board in 13 overs. Kerala skipper Sachin Baby was trying his best to hold on to the crumbling fort. But Gurbani soon ended Baby's resistance. Bowling his ninth over on the trot, Gurbani got one to swing in late and hit top of the stumps to send back Baby. Experienced Jalaj Saxena became Yadav's fifth victim as Kerala slid to 55 for 7. With the hosts in all sort of trouble, Vishnu Vinod in company of the tail took the Kerala score past 100.
If the first session belonged to Yadav, Faiz held the fort for the rest of day. The Vidarbha skipper with tons of application and pluck and bit of luck, showed how to carve out a responsible innings on this pitch. Faiz along with Sanjay first, and Wasim Jaffer later, took Vidarbha past Kerala's first innings total.
Faiz would have ended the day undefeated but for a beauty from Sandeep Warrier. The short ball moved in late to kiss Faiz's gloves on way to wicketkeeper. The Faiz dismissal resulted in a mini collapse as Vidarbha from 170 for 2 slid to 171 for 5 within 20 balls. One of those wickets was of nightwatchman Gurbani. But it was Taide's dismissal that ruined what was a perfect day for Vidarbha.
Taide was the rabbit that Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit pulled out of the hat at the beginning of the match. The young opener, included in the team to strengthen the middle-order, carried out the job perfectly till he played a needless shot on the last ball of the day.
SCOREBOARD: Kerala 1st Innings: Ponnam Rahul c Faiz Fazal b Rajneesh Gurbani 9, Mohammed Azharuddeen c Yash Thakur b Umesh Yadav 8, Sijomon Joseph c Sanjay Ramaswamy b Umesh Yadav 0, Sachin Baby b Rajneesh Gurbani 22, Vinoop Sheela Manoharan c Faiz Fazal b Umesh Yadav 0, KB Arun Karthick c Akshay Wadkar b Umesh Yadav 4, Vishnu Vinod Not Out 37, Jalaj Saxena c Faiz Fazal b Umesh Yadav 7, Basil Thampi c Akshay Wadkar b Umesh Yadav 10, Sandeep Warrier b Umesh Yadav 0, MD Nidheesh c & b Rajneesh Gurbani 6;
Extras (nb 1, lb 2) 3;
Total (all out, 28.4 overs) 106;
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-17, 3-27, 4-28, 5-40, 6-46, 7-55, 8-71, 9-81.
Bowling: Rajneesh Gurbani 11.4-3-38-3, Umesh Yadav 12-1-48-7, Yash Thakur 5-0-18-0.
Vidarbha 1st Innings: Faiz Fazal c Mohammed Azharuddeen b Sandeep Warrier 75, Sanjay Ramaswamy b MD Nidheesh 19, Wasim Jaffer c KB Arun Karthick b MD Nidheesh 34, Atharva Taide c MD Nidheesh b Sandeep Warrier 23, Rajneesh Gurbani c Mohammed Azharuddeen b Basil Thampi 0, Aditya Sarvate batting 0;
Extras (nb 4, b 4, lb 12): 20;
Total (5 wickets, 45 overs) 171;
Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-113, 3-170, 4-171, 5-171;
Bowling: Sandeep Warrier 13-3-46-2, Basil Thampi 13-3-38-1, MD Nidheesh 13-1-53-2, Jalaj Saxena 6-1-18-0.
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