THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala got into a great position in their crucial match against Bihar in the Ranji Trophy tournament. At the end of the first day, Kerala scored 302 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
Salman Nizar, with his maiden century in the Ranji Trophy, helped Kerala amass this massive total. Kerala won the toss and elected to bat but lost the wicket of opener Rohan Kunnummal early on. Rohan, who scored just three runs, was dismissed by Harsh Vikram Singh.
Kerala was on the verge of collapsing when Anand Krishnan and Sachin Baby were dismissed in quick succession. Anand scored 11 and Sachin Baby just four runs. The partnership of Akshay Chandran and Shoun Roger gave hope. Shoun Roger and Salman Nizar's partnership of 89 runs for the fifth wicket was the turning point in the Kerala innings. Shoun was dismissed by Vir Pratap Singh for 59 runs.
Mohammad Azharuddin, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwathe couldn’t last long on the crease. Similar to his last game cameo, MD Nidheesh who came to bat at number 11 provided support for Nizar. Both of them scored 79 runs in their late partnership that left Bihar bowlers confounded.
Salman Nizar's innings consisted of 11 fours and a six. Harsh Vikram Singh and Sachin Kumar Singh took two wickets each for Bihar.