PANAJI
Powered by magnificent centuries from Rohan Kunnummal and captain Vishnu Vinod, Kerala surged to a commanding 171-run lead against Goa in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group match at the Goa Cricket Association Academy ground, Porvorim.
Replying to Goa's first-innings total of 355, Kerala declared their innings at 526 for 9 in 135 overs, displaying a fine balance of patience and controlled aggression through a long batting effort. By the close of the third day, Goa had reached 18 without loss in 4 overs in their second innings. Suyash Prabhudessai was unbeaten on 14, while Kashyap Bakhle was not out on 4. Goa still trail by 153 runs with only one day left in the match.
Openers led Kerala's charge, with Kunnummal compiling a superb 153 off 213 balls, striking 14 fours and five sixes. He received solid support from skipper Vishnu Vinod, who struck a fluent 113 from 128 deliveries, including 14 fours and two sixes. Middle-order contributions came from Salman Nizar (52) and Sachin Baby (37), while the lower order ensured the momentum was maintained, with Ankit Sharma scoring 36 and Nidheesh M. D. remaining unbeaten on 20.
For Goa, off-spinner Lalit Yadav and left-arm spinner Amulya Pandrekar claimed three wickets apiece, while Arjun Tendulkar chipped in with two wickets.
BRIEF SCORES
Goa, 1st innings: 355 all out Kerala, 1st innings: 526/9 declared in 135 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 153, Vishnu Vinod 113, Salman Nizar 52, Sachin Baby 37, Ahammed Imran 31, Manav Krishna 12, Ankit Sharma 36, Sreehari Nair 4, Basil N. P. 13*trails, Nidheesh M. D. 20*; Extras 23, Arjun Tendulkar 2/109, Koushik V. 0/67, Darshan Misal 0/93, Lalit Yadav 3/112, Amulya Pandrekar 3/85, Yash Kasvankar 0/36, Abhinav Tejrana 0/9)
Goa, 2nd innings: 18/0 in 4 overs (Suyash Prabhudessai 14*, Kashyap Bakhle 4*; Ankit Sharma 0/4, Sreehari Nair 0/14)
