Veteran Sachin Baby steadied Kerala’s innings with a resolute unbeaten half-century, guiding his team to 206/4 against a probing Gujarat attack on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Monday. The 36-year-old southpaw occupied the crease for two full sessions, crafting an unbeaten 69 off 193 balls (8×4) that kept their maiden final hopes alive. He found an able ally in Mohammed Azharuddeen, who remained unbeaten on 30 off 66 balls (3×4) after surviving a last-ball LBW scare as DRS overturned the decision, denying Gujarat a breakthrough right before stumps. Trapped LBW by Chintan Gaja, the Kerala keeper-batter was given out by the on-field umpire, sparking celebrations in Gujarat camp.

However, the batter immediately reviewed the decision, and ball-tracking confirmed it was sliding down the leg side as Kerala heaved a sigh of relief, ending the day without further damage.

Their unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 49 runs kept Kerala afloat against Gujarat’s relentless bowling attack, which deployed seven bowlers, though only Arzan Nagwaswalla (16-4-39-1), Priyajitsing Jadeja (12-0-33-1), and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (15-2-33-1) managed breakthroughs.

With Kerala looking to build on their total, the first session on day two will be crucial, and Baby’s innings will hold the key.

On the other hand, the hosts, seeking their first final appearance since their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2016-17, will look to seize control early.

Opting to bat, Kerala started well, but none of the top-order batters could convert their starts into a big knocks.

While wickets fell at regular intervals, Baby stood firm, bringing up his 28th first-class fifty.

The scoring rate, however, remained sluggish throughout the day as Kerala crawled to 200 in 86.3 overs, consuming over 470 dot balls.

Gujarat toiled hard, and the crucial strikes and low-scoring run-rate from Kerala definitely kept them in the contest.

With four wickets down, an early breakthrough on day two could tilt the balance in favour of the home side.

Kerala looked to be settling in when left-arm pacer Nagwaswalla broke a promising fourth-wicket partnership, worth 71 runs, cleaning up Jalaj Saxena.

Attempting a late cut off a back-of-a-length delivery, Jalaj only managed to drag the ball onto his stumps. The wicket came just a delivery after he had survived an LBW review.

Baby was highly disciplined in his approach, displaying excellent judgment outside the off-stump and rarely flirting with deliveries in the fourth-stump channel.

The experienced left-hander took his time, grinding out a patient innings against a Gujarat attack that bowled with discipline.

Azharuddeen, Kerala’s second-highest run-getter this season, took 11 deliveries to get off the mark but provided solid support to Baby.

Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai exploited the rough patches outside off-stump, but Baby remained unperturbed, watching the ball closely and countering spin with a solid defence.

Despite the second new ball being available, Gujarat refrained from taking it, preferring to persist with Desai and Bishnoi in the closing stages of the day, with close-in fielders crowding the batters.

They finally took the second new ball in the 86th over but did not taste any success.

Earlier, Kerala made up a solid start with openers Rohan Kunnummal and Akshay Chandran negotiating the new ball spells of Chintan Gaja and Nagwaswalla without any trouble.

The duo put up a 60-run stand, showing patience against the Gujarat bowlers while capitalising on loose deliveries.

However, Gujarat struck back before the lunch break when a mix-up led to Chandran’s run out for 30 off 71 balls (5×4).

Within four overs, Gujarat struck again when Kunnummal was trapped leg-before by Bishnoi for 30 off 68 balls (5×4) after an unsuccessful DRS review. Kerala, from a steady 60/0, found themselves at 63/2.

The left-right combination had looked comfortable, but the two dismissals came against the run of play, leaving Kerala with two new batters at the crease.

Varun Nayanar’s tentative stay ended at 10, edging Jadeja behind, reducing Kerala to 86/3.

From there, Baby and Jalaj steadied the innings with their cautious partnership, frustrating the Gujarat attack.

Gujarat even lost a review when Bishnoi’s appeal against Jalaj was turned down. 

Mumbai vs Vidarbha

Danish Malewar’s gritty 79 and opener Dhruv Shorey’s attractive 74 made up for a gritty batting show by hosts Vidarbha as they reached 308 for 5 against defending champions Mumbai on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final here on Monday. Karun Nair, who is back in contention for a Test team berth, scored a chiselled 45 before he seemed distinctly unhappy with a caught behind decision of Shivam Dube’s bowling although he had opted for DRS.

While the two-time champions didn’t have a big partnership, they had enough middling stands to see them cross 300-run mark after Mumbai had sent down 88 overs in the day.

Mumbai bowlers were also guilty of bowling as many as 13 no balls during the course of the opening day.

Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (2/44 in 18 overs) was easily the best bowler on the day as he got appreciable bounce and some amount of purchase from the Jamtha track.

Dube (2/35 in 9 overs) also had a couple wickets but one of them was more so because of a splendid one-handed diving catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the slip cordon.

That Mumbai failed to make more inroads was because the two new ball bowlers Shardul Thakur (0/57 in 14 overs) and Mohit Avasthi (0/61 in 14 overs) were way off the mark with both new ball and second new ball at the fag end of the day.

The morning session belonged to Shorey, who capitalised on the half-volleys provided by Avasthi, who simply doesn’t have the required pace to trouble batters if he doesn’t get to swing the new ball.

As far as Shardul is concerned, he fed Shorey on the legs and got whipped.

It was left-armer Royston Dias, who got the breakthrough with a delivery that climbed on left-hander Atharva Taide (4) as the batter tried to shoulder arms.

Shorey, a former Delhi opener, who hit nine boundaries, added 54 for the second wicket with left-hander Parth Rekhade (23), who was out just before lunch trying to drive Dube but Surya standing at third slip showing brilliant reflexes to pouch it one-handed.

Malewar, who has been Vidarbha’s find of the season, blended caution with aggression after lunch, dominating in his 51-run stand with Shorey.

Shorey, who looked good for a three-figure mark, was finally gone when Mulani got one to jump off length and it turned enough to carry the edge which Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane gleefully accepted.

Nair, who is in fantastic form this season, looked effortless while tackling both Mulani and off-spinner Tanush Kotian en route his 78-run fourth wicket stand with Malewar.

They were ready to use their feet with Malewar hitting the only six off the day off Mulani, who was otherwise in full control.

Nair, who had hit six boundaries, looked in control before a delivery from Dube in the post-tea session moved a shade and was taken by keeper Akash Anand.

While on-field umpire gave it out after some deliberation, Nair asked for review and the decision was upheld.

Malewar’s 159 ball knock ended when he tried to play forward defence to a Mulani delivery that kissed the outside edge into keeper Anand’s gloves.

However the bespectacled pair of left-handed Yash Rathod (47 batting) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (13 batting) added 47 for the unbroken sixth wicket to take the total past 300-run mark.

Fast-bowling all-rounder is a rare commodity in Indian cricket. In terms of role in the team, an allrounder who can bowl with decent pace can give a balance unlike any other cricketer. Shardul Thakur is one of the top names in the country when it comes to fast-bowling all-rounder. Thakur has played 11 Tests, 47 ODIs and 25 T20Is for India, but the last match he played for the national team was back in December, 2023 in South Africa. Since then, he has not been used in any of the formats. He was not even in the squad for the Australia Test series that India lost 3-1. 

But then, in the Ranji Trophy, Thakur has been in scintillating form for Mumbai. He has picked 33 wickets at 19.96 and scored 402 runs in eight matches. He has now opened up on his Australia Tour snub and said he is looking forward to India Test tour of England. 

“Initially, it was quite disturbing when I saw my name was not there when the team was selected. It was tough, but as professional cricketers, we understand that there are highs and lows in a career. What I thought at that moment was that if I wanted to achieve more in cricket, I could not dwell on the rejection anymore. There was optimism that if any opportunity came my way, I should be ready,” Shardul Thakur told Revsportz.

“There was no desperation to put in any extra effort—I focused on my basics. If you ask me what makes me special while playing for Mumbai, I will say taking wickets at regular intervals and delivering performances in knockout stages. All these serve as motivation for me, and I believe that if I have already done these things, I can do them again.

“When the team came out for the Australia tour, my focus shifted to the Champions Trophy, IPL, and now this upcoming England tour. The motivation was there, and I worked hard accordingly.”

Shardul thakur is now looking forward to India’s Tour of England for Tests, which will begin in June. 

“Self-belief and confidence are very high. There is no bigger motivation than playing for your country. If you look at Team India’s combination, whether playing in India or abroad, you always need a bowler who can bat at No. 7 or 8. Ravichandran Ashwin used to play and won many games with the bat as well. Ravindra Jadeja has also shown that capability. I believe I have the skill to deliver for Team India even at No. 7 or 8,” he said.

“Even if I am the third or fourth seamer in the team, it does not mean I am less than anyone. For Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, I play as a lead bowler, so I am used to bowling with the new ball. Hence, if Jasprit Bumrah is bowling from one end and the Team India captain wants me to start from the other, I am up for it, as this is nothing new to me. I believe my bowling has the versatility to adjust according to different situations.

“If you think of T20Is, in the matches where Bumrah and I played together, I operated more in the death overs. In Test cricket, I can bowl with both the new and old ball. With the bat, I think any runs from numbers eight to eleven are valuable for the team. Especially when we are touring England, as an away team, those extra runs provide a cushion for the bowlers. Eventually, they become the key difference in a particular game.”

Shardul Thakur in action© PTI

Mumbai piled up a massive 585-run first-innings lead and made early inroads against Meghalaya, while Jammu and Kashmir grabbed a crucial 205-run advantage against Baroda in their Group A Ranji Trophy matches on Friday. Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane missed a century but maiden First-Class tons from Akash Anand (103) and Shams Mulani (100 not out), Siddhesh Lad’s 145 and fifties from Shardul Thakur (84) and Suryansh Shedge (61) powered the hosts to a massive 671 for seven declared in the first innings.

Meghalaya, who were shot out for 86 in the first innings, slipped to 27/2 at stumps on the second day with Thakur striking twice with the new ball, trailing by 558 runs as Mumbai took big strides towards a massive win to ensure qualification for the quarterfinals.

With a quarterfinal berth at stake, the defending champions opted for a no-risk approach by batting through the second day to push for an outright win.

The day, however, began on a disappointing note for the hosts when Rahane fell four runs short of his first century this season.

He edged one behind to Arpit Subhas off MD Nafees after being troubled on a few occasions.

Lad brought up his second century of the season, finishing with 145 off 250 balls with 17 fours and a six. Lad had himself to blame when he hit a innocuous delivery from Anish Charak (2/185) straight into the hands of Kishan Lyndoh at short midwicket.

“I never thought that I would be back playing for Mumbai again because we had won the Ranji Trophy last year and boys are doing really well. But I knew somewhere the opportunity will come and I have to be ready for that. Kudos to the support staff, they have really worked hard on me since June (last year),” Lad, who had left Mumbai for Goa earlier, told media after stumps.

“I had a talk with Omkar Salvi sir at the start of the season (as to) what my role will be, when will I get (an) opportunity? He made me ready for for this situation and I’m glad that it came off nice.” Lad said Meghalaya are a new team among the Elites in the Ranji Trophy and they will need time to find their feet.

“Yes, Meghalaya is a new team, they will take some time to get acclimatised to the teams which are playing since (many) years. They have the potential, but our coach and captain won’t let you take anyone lightly; you can’t take anyone lightly and you can’t take your place lightly in the team (as well),” he added.

The 196-run association between Rahane and Lad was followed by an 87-run stand between Lad and Anand for the fourth wicket and another 123 runs were added between Suryansh Shedge and Anand for the fifth wicket.

Thakur then produced a brutal 42-ball 84 with five sixes and nine fours while adding 156 runs for the seventh wicket from only 99 balls with Mulani.

Mumbai declared after Mulani scored his ton, reaching 100 not out from 86 balls.

In another Group A clash at Vadodara, J&K took control against Baroda, whom they had displaced from the top of the points table with a win over Mumbai last week.

J&K came up with a fine bowling display to dismiss Baroda for 166 and take an 80-run first-innings lead.

At stumps, J&K’s lead had swelled to 205 with opener Shubham Khajuria, who had earlier taken 3/47, reaching 67 not out off 115 balls.

In Cuttack, Odisha conceded a 19-run first-innings lead but reached 167 for three at stumps to be ahead by 148 runs against Services with Aashirwad Swain batting on 64.

In Solapur, Siddhesh Veer’s unbeaten 93 and Yash Kshirsagar’s 71 took Maharashtra to 235/3 against Tripura who were bowled out for 270 in the first innings.

Shardul Thakur remained at the forefront of the Mumbai attack as his hat-trick and unbeaten half-centuries from skipper Ajinkya Rahane (83) and Siddhesh Lad (89) helped the hosts build a 127-run lead against Meghalaya on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A clash in Mumbai on Thursday. Thakur found adequate help from another opening-day bowling-friendly surface as well as from fellow bowlers Mohit Avasthi (3/27), Sylvester D’Souza (2/14) and Shams Mulani (1/1) as Mumbai shot out Meghalaya for a mere 86.

In reply, a sturdy unbeaten 170-run stand for the third wicket between Rahane and Lad powered Mumbai to 213 for two at stumps in their must-win last group stage clash here at the BKC Ground.

Mumbai captain Rahane made the right call of bowling first and Thakur was all over Meghalaya right from the word go.

Pitching the ball up to exploit the early moisture on the wicket and the new ball, the India all-rounder found the perfect line and lengths to record only the fifth hat-trick for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy history.

Thakur provided Mumbai with an early breakthrough getting Meghalaya opener Nishanta Chakraborty (0) caught by Shams Mulani at the slip cordon on the fourth ball of the innings.

But it was in his second over and third of the innings when the carnage unfolded for Meghalaya, who slipped for 2/5 by the end of it.

Anirudh B (0) was cleaned up with Thakur’s delivery nipping back in and hitting the off-stump on the fourth ball.

Sumit Kumar (0) gave a simple grab to Mulani on the third slip on the penultimate delivery of the over and Thakur again got the ball to move back into another left-hander, Jaskirat Sachdeva (0), to hit the off-stump again.

Meghalaya soon slipped to 2/6 on the first ball of the fourth over as Mohit Avasthi cleaned up opener Arpit Subhas (2), in danger to possibly record the lowest Ranji Trophy total ever.

But Pringsang Sangma (19), skipper Akash Kumar (16), Anish Charak (17) and Himan Phukan (28) did extremely well to negotiate the rampaging Mumbai bowlers and drag Meghalaya as far as 86 all-out in the first essay.

Mumbai lost Ayush Mhatre (5) early but a cautious approach thereon helped the hosts crawl past Meghalaya’s paltry score, but in doing so the hosts’ batters Lad (89 off 155 balls, 11x4s, 1x6s) and Rahane (83 off 150, 9x4s, 1x6s) took away the fight from the less fancied visitors.

If Lad was resolute in defence and attack alike, Rahane raised his first half-century of the season while peppering the on-side with attractive stroke play which was the highlight of his knock.

Meanwhile, as Mumbai tightened screws on Meghalaya, their star player and India captain Rohit Sharma hit the nets adjacent to the BKC Ground on Thursday morning for a half-an-hour session against fast bowlers and throw down specialists.

As if it was a conscious approach, Rohit curbed his attacking instincts throughout the stint to focus on defence against the white-ball as he prepares for ODI assignments against England and Champions Trophy.

At Vadodara, fresh off a five-wicket humbling of the defending champions Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir seemed to have squandered a solid platform as they slipped from 106 for three to 246 all-out with only Kanhaiya Wadhawan (71) putting up resistance.

But in reply, Baroda were rocked twice as they reached 29 for two, trailing by another 217 runs in the first innings as the race to quarterfinals intensifying with three teams in fray for top-two finish.

J&K lead the Group A points table followed by Baroda and Mumbai at second and third respectively.

At Cuttack, Rajesh Mohanty’s 61-ball 60 with eight fours and four boundaries was the only bright spot for hosts Odisha who were shot out for a mere 180 in the first essay by Services.

At the close of play, Services, who were rocked twice in quick succession, reached 85 for two, trailing by another 95 runs in the first innings.

Elsewhere in Solapur, visitors Tripura crawled to 230/5 against Maharashtra.

Brief scores: At Mumbai: Meghalaya 86 in 24.3 overs (Himan Phukan 28; Shardul Thakur 4/43, Mohit Avasthi 3/27, Sylvester D’Souza 2/14, Shams Mulani 1/1) trail Mumbai 213/2 in 59 overs (Siddhesh Lad 89*, Ajinkya Rahane 83*; Anish Charak 1/50) by 127 runs.

At Vadodara: Jammu and Kashmir 246 in 71.3 overs (Vivrant Sharma 43, Paras Dogra 43, Kanhaiya Wadhwan 71; Mahesh Pithiya 3/62, Ninad Rathva 5/43) lead Baroda 29/2 in 15.3 overs (Shivalik Sharma 16*; Sahil Lotra 1/5, Shubham Khajuria 0/1) by 217 runs.

At Cuttack: Odisha 180 in 62.2 overs (Rajesh Mohanty 60; Jayant Goyat 3/33, PS Poonia 4/33) lead Services 85/2 in 23 overs (Ravi Chauhan 40*; Sunil Kumar Roul 1/20) by 95 runs.

At Solapur: Tripura 230/5 in 89 overs (S Sharath 66*; Hitesh Walunj 3/59) vs Maharashtra.

Gaja, Jayswal shine as Gujarat bowl out Himachal for 215 in must-win Ranjit match

Gujarat captain Chintan Gaja and spinner Vishal Jayswal shared seven wickets between them to bowl out Himachal Pradesh for 215 on the opening day of their must-win Ranji Trophy Group B match in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

With both teams vying for the second quarterfinal spot from the group, Gujarat’s bowlers were on the mark, wrapping up Himachal’s first innings in just 66.3 overs after opting to bowl.

Leading from the front, Gaja delivered a stellar spell of medium pace, claiming 4/31 at an impressive economy rate of 1.77. He accounted for both the openers before taking the crucial wicket of rival skipper Rishi Dhawan (40) Left-arm spinner Jayswal also made a strong impact, finishing with figures of 3/23 in just eight overs.

Despite several Himachal batters getting promising starts, they failed to convert them into substantial scores. Ankit Kalsi (53) and Dhawan provided the only real resistance, but their efforts weren’t enough to push their side to a bigger total.

Himachal, however, struck back with the ball, making early inroads into Gujarat’s top order. Spinners Mayanak Dagar and Mukul Negi removed openers Aditya Patel (19) and Aarya Desai (8) At stumps, Gujarat were 44/2, trailing by 171 runs, as both teams fought fiercely for the final quarterfinal spot.

Vidarbha struggle as Hyderabad bowlers dominate

In Nagpur, two-time champions Vidarbha — who have already secured their quarterfinal berth — were put on the back foot as Hyderabad bowled them out for just 190 in 55.5 overs.

Pacer Rakshan Readdi (3/29) and Chama Milind (2/46) dismantled the Vidarbha top order before left-arm spinner Anikethreddy (3/54) ran through the middle order.

All-rounder Harsh Dubey fought a lone battle with a counterattacking 65 off 46 balls.

In response, Hyderabad put up a solid batting display, reaching 90/2 at stumps. Opener Tanmay Agarwal remained unbeaten on 53, with Kodimela Himateja keeping him company.

Rajasthan’s Tomar falls short of a century, Andhra start strong

In Vizianagaram, Abhijeet Tomar (94) and Manav Suthar (54) guided Rajasthan to 258 before spinner Tripurana Vijay registered career-best innings figures of 5/62.

Andhra made a solid start in reply, finishing the day at 49/0.

Kale’s unbeaten 93 helps Puducherry end day on a strong note

Meanwhile, in Puducherry, Mohit Kale’s unbeaten 93 helped the hosts reach 246/7 against Uttarakhand, despite Deepak Dhapola’s impressive 4/29.

Brief Scores: In Ahmedabad: Himachal Pradesh 215 all out in 66.3 overs (Ankit Kalsi 53, Rishi Dhawan 40; Chinatan Gaja 4/31, Vishal Jayswal 3/23) lead Gujarat 44 for 2 in 21 overs ( Aditya Patel 19, Manan Hingrajia 13 not out; Mayank Dagar 1/5, Mukul Negi 1/160 by 171 runs.

In Nagpur: Vidarbha 190 all out in 55.5 overs (Harsh dubey 65; Rakshan Readdi 3/29, Anikrthreddy 3/54) lead Hyderabad 90 for 2 in 29 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 53 not out, Abhirath Reddy 20; Akshay Wakhare 1/21) In Vizianagaram: Rajasthan 258 all out in 79.5 overs (Abhijeet Tomar 94, Manav Suthar 54; Tripurana Vijay 5/62) lead Andhra 49/0 in 8 overs (S Bharat 26 not out; Khaleel Ahmed 0/10).

In Puduchery: Puducherry 246 for 7 on 89.1 overs (Mohit Kale 93 not out; Deepak Dhapola 4/29) vs Uttarakhand. 

File photo of Shardul Thakur© X (Twitter)

Mumbai vs Jammu and Kashmir, Ranji Trophy LIVE Updates: Mumbai eye turnaround.© BCCI

Shreyas Iyer was given not out despite an apparent edge through to the keeper.© X (Twitter)

Saurashtra vs Delhi Live Score Updates, Ranji Trophy© X (formerly Twitter)