Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 21 Veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena claimed a five-wicket haul to help Kerala bowl out Odisha for 143 in their second innings and register an innings and 36-run victory in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match here Wednesday.
The win lifted Kerala to second place behind Bengal, who climbed to the top of the table with successive victories, earning 12 points.
Bengal had defeated Services by 60 runs on Thursday.
Gujarat, who had led the table after the opening round, slipped to third on quotient, with Kerala and Gujarat level on eight points.
Maharashtra, who earned three points on the basis of first innings lead over Jharkhand in their home match, occupy the fourth spot.
Resuming their second innings at 102 for four after being asked to follow on, Odisha lost their remaining six wickets for 41 runs to be bowled out for 143 in 58.3 overs, handing Kerala victory inside the second session on the fourth and final day.
Saxena was the wrecker-in-chief, returning figures of 5/34 from 18 overs, including seven maidens, as Odisha failed to build on their overnight position. The final two wickets fell through run-outs.
Opener Gourav Choudhary top-scored with 53, while captain Subhranshu Senapati contributed 30. However, Saxena dismantled the lower order after Choudhary and Senapati had helped Odisha recover from early setbacks.
Odisha had been dismissed for 225 in their first innings, conceding a 179-run lead after Kerala posted 404.
Mohammed Azharuddeen was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 139, which anchored Kerala’s first innings.
Delhi bounce back with three points
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At Palam B Ground, hosts Delhi bounced back from their defeat to Bengal in their season-opener to open their account with three points against first round leaders Gujarat after the match ended in a draw.
Delhi’s mammoth first-innings total of 648 for six declared, built around Ayush Badoni’s 217 and Priyansh Arya’s 199, proved decisive as Gujarat were bowled out for 479 in their first innings before reaching 15 for one in their second innings after being asked to follow on.
Arya was adjudged Player of the Match, for his 199 off 221 balls.
Resuming their first innings at 363 for five on the final day, Gujarat added 116 runs before being bowled out in 174.1 overs.
Middle-order batter Manan Hingrajia, who was unbeaten on 108 overnight, went on to score 123 off 303 balls, adding 15 runs to his tally.
Captain Chintan Gaja also extended his overnight score of 41 to 82, but Gujarat could not avoid conceding a first-innings deficit.
Hrithik Shokeen was Delhi’s most successful bowler, claiming five wickets for 143 runs, while Sumit Mathur picked up two wickets.
Gujarat’s innings ended with a deficit of 169 runs, prompting Delhi to enforce the follow-on.
Gujarat managed 15 for one in eight overs in their second innings before the teams settled for a draw, with Delhi taking three points on the basis of their first-innings lead.
Gujarat earned one point. Delhi are on sixth spot in the eight-team standings.
Brief scores:
In Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala 404. Odisha 225 and 143 in 58.3 overs (Gourav Choudhary 53, Subhranshu Senapati 30; Jalaj Saxena 5/34, Aditya Sarwate 2/45). Kerala won by an innings and 36 runs. Points: Kerala 7, Odisha 0.
In New Delhi: Delhi 648/6 declared. Gujarat 479 (Manan Hingrajia 123, Chintan Gaja 82; Hrithik Shokeen 5/143) and 15/1 in 8 overs. Points: Delhi 3, Gujarat 1.
In Pune: Jharkhand 169 and 344/8 (Shikhar Mohan 127, Utkarsh Singh 58, Aditya Singh 51; Rajvardhan Hangargekar 3/99, Siddhesh Veer 3/41). Maharashtra 527/5 declared. Points: Maharashtra 3, Jharkhand 1.
(PTI News)
