Ranji Trophy: Former champs Gujarat start favourites as Kerala chase historic final berth

Ahmedabad, Feb 16 (PTI) Hosts Gujarat are unlikely to digress from their tried and tested template of out-batting oppositions with dogged first innings displays as they take on a gutsy Kerala in their Ranji Trophy semi-final beginning here on Monday.

Gujarat, the champions of the 2016-17 edition, advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2019-20 season after thrashing Saurashtra by an innings and 98 runs in the quarter-finals in Rajkot.

The victory was built on a formidable middle order performance featuring Manan Hingrajia, Jaymeet Patel, and keeper Urvil Patel, who form the core of their batting unit this season.

Fresh from his maiden first-class hundred with 140 runs, Urvil led Gujarat’s charge in an imposing first innings total of 511, while Jaymeet contributed a crucial century.

Jaymeet has been their top run-getter this season with 582 runs at an average of 48.50 -- including two centuries and four fifties.

Close on his heels with 570 runs, Hingrajia has also been consistent with two tons as he also contributed to their batting dominance against their state-rivals.

On the other hand, it's been an emotional journey for the Sachin Baby's Kerala, who secured their second semi-final berth (since 2018-19) after a hard-fought quarterfinal against Jammu & Kashmir that came via a slender one-run first innings lead.

Set a challenging target of 399, Kerala showed remarkable patience on the final day to bat out and force a draw and result on their first innings lead.

A crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 115 runs between Salman Nizar (unbeaten on 44 off 162 balls) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (67 not out off 118 balls), proved decisive in grinding down the opposition's attack.

Thalassery's Nizar has been the man in form for Kerala this season. He struck a first inning century, an unbeaten 112, as his form would be crucial as Kerala would look to continue their dream run.

MD Nidheesh has been the spearhead of Kerala's bowling attack.

It was he who led the demolition of Jammu and Kashmir, claiming an impressive 10 wickets in the quarter-final match.

Now, he would look to work his magic once again, aiming to outfox the Gujarat batters with his pinpoint line and length, diverse variations, and lethal outswingers.

He has already picked up 22 wickets this season.

Domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena, who has more than 6900 runs and 470 wickets in first-class cricket, will also look to make a statement for Kerala.

The 38-year-old has emerged as their leading wicket-taker with 34 scalps at an eye-catching average of 16.84 with his spin bowling.

Additionally, the Madhya Pradesh veteran has contributed valuable runs with the bat, notching up two fifties to bring his season tally to 271 runs at an average of 30.11.

A true utility player for Kerala, Saxena has consistently delivered crucial performances including his match-winning haul of 10 wickets -- five in each innings -- against Bihar paved the way for an innings and 169-run victory, sealing their berth in the quarter-finals.

Teams

Gujarat: Priyank Panchal, Aarya Desai, Siddharth Desai, Manan Hingrajia, Jaymeet Patel, Urvil Patel (wk), Chintan Gaja(c), Vishal Jayswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Priyajitsing Jadeja, Rishi Patel, Aditya Udaykumar Patel, Rinkesh Vaghela, Umang Kumar, Tejas Patel, Hemang Patel, Het Patel, Kshitij Patel.

Kerala: Akshay Chandran, Rohan Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Sachin Baby (c), Jalaj Saxena, Salman Nizar, Mohammed Azharuddeen (w), Aditya Sarwate, MD Nidheesh, Nedumankuzhy Basil, Basil Thampi, Vaisakh Chandran, Baba Aparajith, Vishnu Vinod, KM Asif, Fazil Fanoos, Vathsal Govind, Krishna Prasad and Anand Krishnan.