Ranji Trophy: Kerala batters falter under gloomy skies; Sanju Samson and Salman Nizar spark sparks | Cricket News

Thiruvananthapuram: Under the brooding gray clouds that hung over Greenfield Stadium, Kerala’s batting collapsed in a heap of unfulfilled promises, dismissed for 219 in reply to Maharashtra’s 239. The visitors then raced to 51/0 in 9 overs, courtesy of Prithvi Shaw’s quickfire unbeaten 37, when poor light halted proceedings an hour before the scheduled close on Friday. A 71-run deficit was like a punch in the gut for last season’s runners-up, especially after they won the toss on the first day and put Maharashtra on the ropes at 18/5.The innings today began with more hope than direction and quickly turned to disarray, largely due to the confused state of the Kerala top order. Opener Akshay Chandran scratched and flailed for 21 agonizing deliveries before going for a duck on Thursday.Baba Aparajith came and went for 6, while Rohan Kunnumal faltered briefly with a silky 27, before misjudging the moment and giving away his wicket. When Sanju Samson I arrived today, there was a buzz of anticipation. And for a while, it delivered on its promises – whipping, driving and lifting brilliantly and effortlessly.His 54 was a mix of poise and dazzle, but ended with a slight under-edge from Vicky Ostwal nestled in the gloves of Saurabh Nawale. Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen looked calm during his 36th over, until he took Ostwal to Nawale as well. This was left to the ever reliable Salman Nizar to stabilize the ship.Calm under fire, he led the strike intelligently, protected the tail and pushed Kerala towards parity with a valiant 49 – before being caught in the backward dot region by Jalaj Saxena off Mukesh Choudhary, finishing heartbreakingly short of his fifty and the lead. The pitch had its tricks, but this was a psychological as well as technical collapse, and Kerala blinked. While Kerala’s top order was lackluster, their middle and lower order failed to turn their starts into something monumental. “We worked hard on our batting during the off-season camps,” admitted Kerala pacer MD Nidheesh. But none of that happened today. As Maharashtra left the field with a spring in their step and a lead in their kitten, Kerala found themselves staring at the overcast skies – looking for answers and a way to get back into the competition. Brief scores: Maharashtra 239 and 51/0 (Prithvi Shaw 37 not out) lead Kerala 219 (Sanju Samson 54, Salman Nizar 49, Jalaj Saxena 3/46) by 71 runs.