Ranji Trophy 2024, all-round Kerala hammer Bengal: Stats
Kerala convincingly defeated Bengal at home on Day 4 of the 2024 Ranji Trophy encounter. The hosts outplayed Bengal in all three departments to take home a crucial victory by 109 runs. Chasing 449, Bengal were always on the back foot in the second innings. Despite Shahbaz Ahmed's heroics, Kerala prevailed and registered their first win of the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign.
A look at the match summary
Kerala compiled a total of 363 courtesy of centuries from Sachin Baby and Akshay Chandran. Bengal's Shahbaz claimed 4/73. In reply, only Abhimanyu Easwaran slammed a fifty as Bengal folded for 180. Jalaj Saxena starred with a record-breaking 9/68. In the second innings, Kerala declared after scoring 265/6. Bengal scored 339, thanks to fifties from Easwaran and Shahbaz, but were 109 runs short.
A fluent inning from Sachin Baby
Baby's hundred was pivotal in helping Kerala post a big total. He came to the crease when the shots were 40/2, and despite wickets tumbling at the other end, he continued his onslaught. He added 42 runs with Saxena before stitching a 179-run stand with Chandran. This was his 13th FC century and his third of the ongoing campaign. He owns 5,118 FC runs.
Third First-Class ton for Akshay Chandran
Chandran was out in the middle when Kerala were 114/4 in the first innings and consolidated with Baby. He played a watchful 106 from 222 which allowed the hosts to evade the danger of a collapse and saw them post a decent total. Notably, Chandran hammered his third FC century. He has scored 1,157 FC runs.
Spinners find success for Bengal
Shahbaz and Ankit Mishra were the pick of the bowlers for Bengal. While the former returned with 4/73, the latter also claimed 3/84. Akash Deep, Karan Lal, and Jaiswal scalped one wicket apiece. Despite securing early wickets, the Bengal bowlers failed to put more pressure on the Kerala middle order, and therefore they posted a decent total and controlled the match.
Twin fifties from Abhimanyu Easwaran
Easwaran was Bengal's standout batter in this match with twin fifties. He slammed a 92-ball 72 in the first innings before scoring a 119-ball 65 in the second. The experienced campaigner was Bengal's lone warrior in the first innings as they were bundled out for 180. Overall, he has smoked 29 FC fifties and compiled 6,806 runs at 46.29.
A record-breaking 9/68 for Saxena in first innings
Saxena was the pick of the bowlers for Kerala in the first innings, claiming a career-best 9/68. He claimed seven wickets on Day 2 and scalped the remaining two on Day 3. The veteran used the spin-friendly conditions to great effect. He also claimed 4/104 in the second outing. Overall, he raced to 442 FC wickets with 29 fifers and eight 10-wicket match hauls.
Second-best bowling figures for Kerala in Ranji Trophy history
Saxena's 9/68 is the second-best bowling figures for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. As per Sportstar, only Amarjith Singh's 9/45 against Andhra back in the 1971/72 season is ahead of the veteran off-spinner. Meanwhile, B Ramprakash is third with figures of 8/25 versus Karnataka (1996/97). The fourth and fifth spots belong to Saxena for his 8/36 against Services (2022-23) and 8/45 versus Andhra (2018-19).
Kunnummal, Baby, and Gopal made useful contributions
Rohan Kunnummal, Baby, and Shreyas Gopal slammed their respective fifties in the second innings which helped Kerala reach a total of 265/6. With a lead of over 400, they decided to declare. It was Kunnummal's seventh FC fifty, while it was Baby's 24th in this format. Gopal, who had hammered an unbeaten 50, smoked his 14th half-century in red-ball cricket.
A defiant knock from Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz batted brilliantly in the second innings as he was Bengal's only hope. His 80 from 100 balls was studded with eight fours and two maximums. He added 54 runs with Manoj Tiwary before stitching an 83-run stand with Karan Lal. Notably, this was his 12th FC fifty, as he compiled 1,647 runs from 29 matches at an average of 42.23.
A gritty performance from Kerala bowlers
It was a test of time for the Kerala bowlers on Day 4, with Bengal putting up a fight. Saxena led the charge with his 4/104, while Basil Thampi and Gopal claimed two wickets apiece. Lastly, NP Basil also returned with a solitary scalp.
