Ranji Trophy: Kerala host Odisha at Sports Hub Greenfield on Sunday after mixed opening round
Kerala will seek an immediate response when it hosts Odisha at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday in the second round of the Ranji Trophy. The home side arrives from a chastening opening fixture against Jharkhand that exposed weaknesses in both departments.
Kerala's season opener in Jamshedpur was dominated by Jharkhand, who amassed a large first-innings total that allowed them to enforce the follow-on; Kerala nevertheless held on for a draw. The match revealed a familiar top-order collapse for Kerala on a flat track despite Abhishek P. Nair producing an attacking century. Jharkhand's lower-order contributions compounded Kerala's problems and the game underlined shortcomings in Kerala's batting and bowling units.
Individual positives from Kerala's first match included Abhishek P. Nair's century, Aditya Sarvate's rearguard innings and Vaisakh Chandran's five-wicket haul, while Mohammed Azharuddeen's lean patch with the bat continued into this season. Those performances were singled out as the main takeaways from the opening fixture.
To strengthen its batting line-up, Kerala have drafted in under-23 captain Abhishek J. Nair after his unbeaten century against Pondicherry. The hosts have indicated they will look to make the most of playing at home in the second round encounter against Odisha.
Odisha arrive off a heavy 10-wicket defeat to Gujarat in their opening match, a result that followed a second-innings collapse on the final day after the side had shown some resistance earlier in the game. The visitors have signalled a need for an improved showing in Thiruvananthapuram.
Weather presents an additional variable, with the arrival of the North East monsoon bringing steady rain to the Kerala capital over recent days. Heavy showers forced cancellation of both teams' net sessions on Saturday and, with forecasts for more rain, conditions could affect play in the coming days.
The second-round Ranji Trophy fixture between Kerala and Odisha at Sports Hub Greenfield stadium on Sunday will be the immediate test of whether the hosts can correct course and whether Odisha can bounce back from their opening defeat.
