Jalaj Saxena’s four-wicket haul seemed to be taking his team to the cusp of history, but a knock beyond his years from Jaymeet Patel ensured the first Ranji Trophy semifinal between Gujarat and Kerala in Ahmedabad is tantalizingly poised heading into the final day.
The 22-year-old batter has been in rollocking form in his maiden First-Class season, leading the team’s run-scoring charts. And on Thursday, he displayed a rock-solid temperament to champion Gujarat’s push towards Kerala’s first-innings score. The host remains 28 runs behind the opponent’s 457, with three wickets left in the tank. With not much time left in the contest, the first-innings lead could well decide the winner.
Earlier, Gujarat suffered a jolt five overs into the day when Manan Hingrajia was dismissed contentiosly on 33 by Saxena. Replays suggested the ball seemed to make contact with the bat and pad at the same instant. But, upon a Kerala review, the third umpire adjudged the pad to be slightly ahead of the bat, sending the batter back to the pavilion.
Ranji Trophy Highlights, Semifinals Day 4
Priyank Panchal, the overnight centurion, and Urvil Patel then scored quickly in their partnership as Kerala spread the field out, providing the pair easy avenues to rotate strike. The decision to start with a pacer alongside Saxena proved expensive as the batters accumulated boundaries against M.D. Nidheesh as he struggled to control his line and length in the early spell.
Saxena got one to turn in from the rough against Panchal, beating his attempted drive and knocking back the stumps, leaving him two runs short of his 150. The veteran off-spinner outfoxed the hard-hitting Urvil four overs later, beating the outside edge as he looked to waltz down the ground, with Mohammed Azharuddeen whipping the bails off in a flash.
Hemang Patel, the concussion substitute for Ravi Bishnoi, who took a knock to the face during the Kerala first innings, was promoted to number five in the order. The medium-pacer was the closest like-for-like replacement in the Gujarat bench which included three batting options. Hemang played the role of the aggressor, looking to take on the spinners and throw them off their radar, adding a valuable 27 runs.
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The mandatory new-ball introduction, upon completion of 100 overs, helped the visitor remove Hemang, whose wild slash outside off against Nidheesh was held brilliantly by substitute Shoun Roger at deep third man.
Off-spinner Saxena, who bowled 27 continuous overs since the start of play, removed skipper Chintan Gaja in the first over after lunch to put Kerala on the frontfoot. But, Jaymeet forged crucial partnerships with Vishal Jayswal and Siddharth Desai to cut down the target one step at a time.
Gujarat Batsman Priyank Panchal bowled out by a Jalaj Saxena delivery on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy Semifinal Match against Kerala in Ahmedabad on February 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY RV/ The Hindu
Gujarat Batsman Priyank Panchal bowled out by a Jalaj Saxena delivery on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy Semifinal Match against Kerala in Ahmedabad on February 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY RV/ The Hindu
After a 49-ball sojourn, Jayswal fell looking to slog sweep Aditya Sarwate only to hand a simple catch to deep square leg. Siddharth, who has batted at three for his team this season, aced at what was expected of him – blocking out the deliveries and handing over strike to the more accomplished batter.
Further, Kerala’s ploy of handing an easy single to Jaymeet and focus on removing Siddharth helped ease the scoreboard pressure on the host. No spinner apart from Saxena was able to extract much out of the pitch.
The visitor will need an inspiring start to the day on Friday to stay in with a chance of bagging the lead, whereas the host will hope Jaymeet can see the team through to its third Ranji Trophy final.
