Thumba
Veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena took six wickets to lead Kerala to an impressive victory over Uttar Pradesh (UP) by an innings and 117 runs in the Ranji Trophy Group C match, bringing them closer to a potential knockout stage. Kerala now has 15 points and sits second in Group C, just behind Haryana (17 points), while UP remains in fifth place with five points.
Kerala wasted no time on the final day, dismissing UP, who resumed at 66/2, for a mere 116 runs. Saxena’s six-wicket haul and support from Aditya Sarvate (3/15) helped Kerala secure a bonus point for their innings victory.
Other Group C Matches
In Bengaluru, Bengal drew with Karnataka but took three points due to their first-innings lead, moving up to fourth place with eight points. Bengal’s Sudip Kumar Gharami (101) and Wriddhiman Saha (63) built a 123-run stand in the second innings, helping them to an overall lead of 363. Karnataka is in fourth place with nine points and will play UP next, while Bengal will travel to Indore to face Madhya Pradesh (MP), who moved to third place after defeating Bihar by an innings and 108 runs.
Brief Scores: Thumba: UP 162 & 116 (Jalaj Saxena 6/41) lost to Kerala 395 (Salman Nizar 93) by an innings and 117 runs. Kerala: 7 points; UP: 0.
Patna: MP 616 beat Bihar 347 & 161 (Kumar Kartikeya Singh 4/40) by an innings and 108 runs. MP: 7 points; Bihar: 0.
Bengaluru: Bengal 301 & 283/5 drew with Karnataka 221 & 110/3. Bengal: 3 points; Karnataka: 1.
