Karnataka on the backfoot after delayed start

NT Bengaluru: The word “inspections” brought more frustration than hope today as a portion of the pitch remained wet, delaying the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match between Karnataka and Kerala on Friday. Despite ideal weather for red-ball cricket, a wet outfield at 9:30 a.m. postponed the toss. Play finally began at 3:30 p.m. after multiple inspections. Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal chose to bowl first, banking on the dry pitch to assist the seamers. Vidhyadhar Patil replaced Prasidh Krishna, who is on national duty. However, Kerala's opening pair, Rohan Kunnummal (57, 4x9, 6x1) and Vathsal Govind (31), gave their team the upper hand going into Day 2. Sanju Samson returned to the Kerala lineup after a record-breaking century against Bangladesh, with pacers Nidhesh MP and KM Asif also replacing Akshay Chandran, Vishnu Vinod, and Salman Nizar. Karnataka, still missing Vidwath Kaverappa due to a shin injury, struggled to fill his void.

Although Vasuki Koushik bowled a tight spell that unsettled Kerala, neither Patil nor Vyshak Vijayakumar could maintain the pressure. Nothing can be taken away from the batting pair of Kunnummal and Govind. Kunnummal, showing excellent shot selection, will be eager to reach his century on Saturday after a determined hour-and-a-half at the crease. A wet patch near the bowlers’ run-up caused issues despite the best efforts of the ground staff. Recent rains had left too much water to drain effectively. Ironically, while the pitch had to be covered to prevent drying out from the heat, it was the recent showers that delayed play.

Brief scores: Kerala 88/0 in 23 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 57*, Vathsal Govind 31*, V Koushik 9-4-23-0, V Vyshak 5-0-25-0)