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Nizar shines as Kerala delivers a tough loss to J&K
Nizar shines as Kerala delivers a tough loss to J&K
Kerala entered the Ranji Trophy semi-final only for the second time in the history of the Ranji Trophy Tournament.
Salman Nizar was the star for Kerala as they reached the Ranji Trophy semi-final for only the second time in their history. They managed this by batting out the entire final day of an intense match against Jammu & Kashmir, which went down to the last 30 minutes with all possible results still in play.
Jammu & Kashmir needed four wickets to win, while Kerala just needed to bat until the end to secure a draw and move forward since they had a one-run lead. Nizar remained not out on 44 runs from 162 balls, and Mohammed Azharuddeen scored 67 runs from 118 balls. The seventh-wicket pair batted for 42.4 overs, wearing down J&K's bowlers on the final day. Kerala will face Gujarat in the semi-final on February 17, while Mumbai will play against Vidarbha in the other semi-final.
Nizar's performance in the second innings was crucial, but it was his first-innings score of 112 that set up the game for Kerala, helping them take a massive lead. Nizar guided the lower order, putting together 81 runs with No. 11 Basil Thampi to take Kerala from 200 for 9 to a total of 280, which was vital.
Nizar's century was key to Kerala's fight, but Jalaj Saxena's 67 runs were also important. Saxena helped revive Kerala's innings from 11 for 3 as J&K's bowler Auqib Nabi, the second-highest wicket-taker this season, caused trouble on a green Pune pitch. Saxena fought back with aggressive shots to reach a half-century.
Despite Saxena's dismissal, Nizar stood strong, just as he did in the final league game against Bihar, where his century boosted their first-innings score.
On the final day, Kerala started at 100 for 2, still needing 299 runs to win. However, it was clear they were not chasing the target. Sachin Baby and Akshay Chandran added 58 runs together, but more importantly, they batted for 43 overs, frustrating J&K's chances of victory.
Just before lunch, J&K's spinners made significant breakthroughs. Chandran was caught at short leg by Shubham Khajuria. After the break, J&K gained the upper hand by taking two wickets in two overs. Offspinner Sahil Lotra got Baby out with a ball that turned and bounced, while Saxena was out to a delivery from left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq.
Mushtaq tempted Saxena into playing a shot through the covers, but pulled back his length to get Saxena to edge the ball to first slip. When Aditya Sarwate tried to hit Mushtaq over the infield and got out, it seemed the end was near for Kerala.
However, Nizar and Azharddeen showed determination and patience, blocking J&K's bowlers for most of the last three hours to secure a draw.
J&K might regret their performance in the first innings, especially when they let Kerala's last pair build a crucial partnership. Despite that, they came back strongly to post 399 for 9 in their second innings, thanks to captain Paras Dogra's century. Dogra, playing his first season as J&K's captain, scored his first century after a long period without a significant score.
In the end, J&K's efforts were not enough as they exited the tournament without losing a single game this season, which makes their exit even harder to accept.
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