Ranji Trophy 2026-27: Nagwaswalla, Chintan put Gujarat firmly in command
Following on, Kerala lost Rohan Kunnummal (7) cheaply but Abhishek J. Nair (batting 29) and Sachin Baby (batting zero) resisted the Gujarat attack to prevent any further damage before stumps.
Pacers Arzan Nagwaswalla (four for 59) and Chintan Gaja (three for 65) ran rampant with the second new ball to trigger a lower order batting collapse for Kerala. Their lethal spells firmly put Gujarat firmly on road to victory in the Elite Group C Ranji Trophy match at the Narendra Modi stadium here on Wednesday.
Nagwaswalla and Gaja picked up two wickets each with the new ball as Kerala collapsed from 277 for six to 279 all out soon after Tea. Following on, Kerala lost Rohan Kunnummal (7) cheaply but Abhishek J. Nair (batting 29) and Sachin Baby (batting zero) resisted the Gujarat attack to prevent any further damage before stumps
Earlier in the day, Kerala batters frittered away their solid starts with none staying long enough to play a defining innings. Gujarat bowlers remained disciplined and patient, providing the breakthroughs just when the partnerships began to look threatening.
Sachin Baby (42) and Vishnu Vinod played fluently to take the total to 120 but the former was trapped in front, playing back to a delivery from Siddharth Desai
Vishnu Vinod (66) was tempted with short balls by the medium pacers but he restrained himself and later opened up to play big shots against the spinners. However, he became debutant Amit Desai’s first wicket as he was pinned in front by a ball which turned square out of the rough to leave Kerala reeling at 154 for five.
Aditya Saravate joined Mohammed Azharuddeen and the duo played in contrasting styles to add 95 runs for the sixth wicket. Sarvate (58) didn’t lose any opportunity to punish the bad balls while Azharuddeen played a restrained knock, eschewing his usual aggression.
It was only after Sarvate top edged a sweep to Trivedi at silly mid-on, that Azharuddeen changed gears to reach his fifty. Guajrat took the second new ball soon after tea and it brought a swift end to the Kerala first innings.
Published on Nov 04, 2026
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