Opting to bowl first in their season-opening at home in the Green Field Stadium, last year’s Ranji Trophy runners-up Kerala had Maharashtra on the mat within four overs in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala’s in-form seam spearheaded MD Nidheesh, ended Prithvi Shaw’s Maharashtra debut within four deliveries, trapping him lbw off the fourth ball of the opening over with an inswinging delivery. He proceeded to take out Siddhesh Veer off the very next delivery before Basil NP nipped out all-rounder Arshin Kulkarni with his first delivery, courtesy of a spectacular catch from a diving Rohan Kunnummal in the slip cordon.
Skipper Ankeet Bawana’s resistance ended soon on a spicy wicket, with Basil producing another nip-backing delivery with bounce to knock the stumps down.
At the time of writing, Maharashtra had recorded only five runs in as many overs with all of them coming off extras conceded through wides by Kerala. Former captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had waded 13 deliveries without opening his account, having wicket-keeper SS Nawale for company.
Maharashtra are also in danger of equalling the dubious record of most ducks in a Ranji Trophy innings. Four times in the 91-year history of the tournament, a team innings has recorded seven ducks, the last of which occurred in the 2016-17 season in a match between Chhattisgarh and Goa.
Earlier, Shaw 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.
Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament, is underway from Wednesday, where 38 teams are in action across the country. The 91st edition of the Ranji Trophy will conclude on February 24, 2026. Vidarbha are the defending champions, having defeated Kerala in the final last season.
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