Crisis man: Sachin Baby’s efficiency with the bat was one of many few positives from the marketing campaign.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR
A passive Kerala failed to qualify for the knockout spherical of the Ranji Trophy for the fifth straight season. The State got here fourth within the Elite Group B with 17 factors and completed 18th total amongst 32 groups within the competitors.
The crew managed to win just one match (towards Bengal). Even although it misplaced solely as soon as (to Mumbai), the failure to win any away matches towards lower-ranked groups – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Assam – ended the qualification chances.
Ruinous batting collapses, besides towards Bengal and Andhra, noticed Kerala hand away the benefit to its rivals on a platter. The high order, aside from Sachin Baby, flattered to deceive. Baby stood tall amongst ruins to amass greater than 800 runs with 4 centuries. Apart from him, Akshay Chandran (two centuries) and Shreyas Gopal (one century) managed to rating greater than 200 runs for Kerala.
Sanju Samson was unavailable for 3 matches and had a poor match with the bat. The poor strategy of the top-order batters was uncovered within the swinging situations away from dwelling. Kerala misplaced early wickets within the must-win matches towards Bihar and Chhattisgarh, and the first-innings totals in each these matches had been insufficient to put strain on the rival.
Batting sluggish for private milestones was additionally detrimental to the crew’s trigger. The declaration being delayed to facilitate gamers attain landmark finally price the crew victories towards Andhra and Chhattisgarh.
The bowlers got here up with occasional sparks of brilliance. Medium pacers Basil Thampi, M.D. Nidheesh, N.P. Basil and Akhin Sathar bowled effectively in patches. Jalaj as soon as once more completed as the highest wicket-taker with 34 scalps.
But aside from the spell (9 for 68 towards Bengal, Jalaj struggled to create an affect and his batting was a letdown. Illnesses affected Gopal’s efficiency. Crucial catches had been put down, however bowlers couldn’t be blamed for not making an attempt. The crew mixture in some matches was baffling.
“Overall it was a disappointing show by the team. The truth is coach M. Venkataramana had little time to work with the boys before the Ranji season. We failed to seize our moments. We will seek a report from the team management on the performance,” stated Kerala Cricket Association secretary Vinod S. Kumar.
However, coach Venkataramana defended the crew and stated he was pleased with the efficiency of the crew.
“It was a good performance considering that we were lying sixth with five points after four matches. This team has tremendous potential, but there are gaps which we need to work on. We have to be patient with the boys,” he stated.
