Kerala reduced Tripura to a miserable 136 for nine at stumps on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Group 'C' match.
Picture for representational purpose only.
Thalassery: A three-hour interruption due to rain notwithstanding Kerala reduced Tripura to a miserable 136 for nine at stumps on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Group 'C' match here on Thursday.
Barring wicket-keeper batsman Yogesh Takawale (45), none of the Tripura players could apply themselves as Kerala pacers teased their top-order with precise and sharp bowling.
The day was horrific for the visitors as their five batsmen went out for duck, but they managed to extend their innings to the next day, courtesy an unexpected downpour.
Sandeep Warrier dealt an early blow as he grabbed KB Pawan's wicket in the second over of the match as the batsman prodded a delivery to Sanju V . Samson at slips.
Kerala had to wait for another 14 overs for the next wicket as Rajib Saha and Samrat Singha played cautiously.
The 35-run partnership ended when Rajib Saha played an innocuous deliv ery from Prasanth Parameswaran for an easy catch at gully.
Soon, Abhijit Dey was sent back for a duck off Sandeep Warrier's bowling. Tripura 38 for 3. However, a downpour interrupted the match for about three hours.
On resumption, Tripura batsmen struggled as Sandeep and Prasanth left the visitors clueless.
Sandeep was at his best when he uprooted the leg stump of Singha with one of his finest deliveries of the day. After seven overs of no substantial action, Kerala got a break when Nirupam Sen Chowdhary ended his 31-ball stand by edging Parameswaran's delivery to Nikhilesh Surendran for a duck to leave Tripura precariously placed at 57 for 5.
Kerala introduced spinners to mount more pressure but Yogesh Takawale played well in the company of Manishankar Mura Singh. Both carefully built the biggest partnership of the Tripura innings (51) to guide their side past 100 runs. However, Kerala spinners soon found their feet.
Sreejith and Vinoop Manoharan left Tripura in tatters with regular strikes.
Brief scores: Tripura 136 for nine in 65 overs (Yogesh Takawale 45, Sandeep Warrier 3/27) vs Kerala
( Source : dc )
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