Maharashtra was off to a horror start in the Ranji Trophy match against last year’s runner-up Kerala at the Green Field Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Option to bowl, Kerala speedsters MD Nidheesh and Nedumankuzhy Basil left Maharashtra reeling at 5-4 in the fourth over. Nitish started the carnage with the wicket of , who was dismissed LBW for a duck. On the next delivery, Nidheesh got rid of Siddhesh Veer as he was caught by Azhauddeen.
Basil also started his spell with a wicket in his first over, removing Arshin Kulkarni, who was caught by Kunnummal. Then came the wicket of captain Ankit Bawa, who fell for a seven-ball duck to Basil after he bowler knocked over his stumps. Saurabh Nawala joined Ruturaj Gaikwad and hit a four and a six before falling to Nidheesh LBW.
At the time of writing, Maharashtra were in deep trouble at 26-5. Ruturaj Gaikwad remains the biggest hope for the team if they are to reach a solid first inning total. Gaikwad is joined by Jalal Saxena and the pair would look to rebuild the innings and bail the team out of trouble.
Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw will be disappointed after failing to score a run in the game. Shaw had scored a cracking ton for Maharashtra in a warm-up match against his former team, Mumbai. He got to his century in 140 deliveries and put on a 305-run partnership with Arshin Kulkarni before being dismissed at 181.
Maharashtra Heading Towards A Dubious Record
Meanwhile, Maharashtra are also in danger of equalling the dubious record of most ducks in a Ranji Trophy innings. In the 91-year history of the tournament, four times a team’s innings has recorded seven ducks, the last of which occurred in the 2016-17 season in a match between Chhattisgarh and Goa. Maharashtra has already seen four batters walk back without scoring.