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MD Nidheesh’s 6 for 20 helped Kerala bowl out Saurashtra for 160, Jay Gohil scored 84. Kerala ended day one at 82 for 2 in the Ranji Trophy Group B match.
MD Needhish in action for Kerala
Medium-pacer MD Nidheesh’s impressive six-wicket haul enabled Kerala to dismiss Saurashtra for just 160, giving them the advantage on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match on Saturday.
Right-arm bowler Nidheesh (6/20) dominated the Saurashtra batters, who were bowled out for 160 in 55.2 overs after Kerala won the toss and chose to field.
This was Nidheesh’s eighth first-class five-wicket performance.
Jay Gohil, batting at one-down, was the top scorer for Saurashtra with 84 off 123 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes, contributing more than half of the team’s total.
Nidheesh dismissed Harvik Desai for a duck in the first over and later sent Chirag Jani (5) and Arpit Vasavada (0) back to the pavilion in consecutive deliveries in the seventh over, leaving Saurashtra at 7 for 3. Although he missed a hat-trick, he then dismissed Prerak Mankad (13) and Ansh Gosai (1), reducing Saurashtra to 82 for 5 in the 27th over. Gohil and Mankad’s 69-run partnership for the fourth wicket helped Saurashtra surpass the 150-run mark.
In response, Kerala were 82 for 2 in 22 overs at stumps, with opener Rohan Kunnummal batting on 59 off 58 balls, hitting nine fours and one six. Hiten Kanbi claimed both wickets for Saurashtra.
In another Group B match in Pune, Karnataka reached 257 for 5 against Maharashtra at stumps on the opening day, after being 89 for 3 at one point. Captain and opening batter Mayank Agarwal scored 80 off 181 balls, while Ravichandran Smaran contributed 54 off 84 balls after Karnataka chose to bat. Karun Nair was dismissed for 4 by Ramakrishna Ghosh. Veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena took three wickets for 80 runs.
Brief Scores:
In Mangalapuram: Saurashtra: 160 all out in 55.2 overs (Jay Gohil 84; MD Nidheesh 6/20) vs Kerala 82 for 2 in 22 overs (Rohan Kunnummal not out 59; Hiten Kanbi 2/26).
In Pune: Karnataka: 257 for 5 in 89 overs (Mayank Agarwal 80, Ravichandran Smaran 54; Jalaj Saxena 3/80) vs Maharashtra.
In Porvorim: Goa: 256 for 8 in 84.5 overs (Suyash Prabhudessai 65; Saransh Jain 4/72) vs Madhya Pradesh.
In Chandigarh: Chandigarh: 173 all out in 51 overs (Nikhil Thakur 63; Ayush Goyal 4/50, Harpreet Brar 3/29) vs Punjab 71 for 3 in 26 overs.
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
Kerala, India, India
November 08, 2025, 21:16 IST
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