Thiruvananthapuram: Under brooding gray clouds hovering over the Greenfield Stadium, Kerala’s batting crumbled into a heap of broken promises, dismissed for 219 in reply to Maharashtra’s 239. The visitors then reached 51/0 in 9 overs, courtesy of Prithvi Shaw’s quickfire unbeaten 37, when bad light halted proceedings an hour before the scheduled end on Friday. A 71-run deficit felt like a gut punch for last season’s runners-up, especially after they won the toss on the first day and had Maharashtra on the ropes at 18/5.The innings started today with more hope than direction and soon spiraled into disarray, fueled largely by the confused state of Kerala’s top order. Opener Akshay Chandran scratched and wobbled for 21 agonizing deliveries before departing for a duck on Thursday.Baba Aparajith came and went for 6 while Rohan Kunnumal flashed briefly with a silky 27 before misjudging the moment and gifting his wicket away. There was anticipation when Sanju Samson walked in today. And for a while he did – whipping, driving and lofting with casual flair.His 54 was a mixture of poise and dazzle but it ended with a weak undercut by Vicky Ostwal that settled in the gloves of Saurabh Nawale. Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen looked composed throughout his 36 until he also bowled Ostwal to Nawala. It was left to the ever reliable Salman Nizar to steady the ship.Calm under fire, he smartly attacked, shielded the tail and moved Kerala to parity with a valiant 49 – before he was caught at deep backward point by Jalaj Saxena off Mukesh Choudhary to finish heartily short of his fifty and the lead. The pitch had its tricks but this was a psychological collapse as much as a technical collapse and Kerala blinked. While Kerala’s top order was lackluster, their middle and lower order failed to convert their starts into something monumental. “We worked hard on our bats in the off-season camps,” admitted Kerala’s MD Nidheesh. But none of that came through today. As Maharashtra left the field with a spring in their step and a lead in their kitty, Kerala were left staring at the overcast sky – looking for answers and a way back into the contest. Quick Score: Maharashtra 239 and 51/0 (Prithvi Shaw 37 not out) lead Kerala 219 (Sanju Samson 54, Salman Nizar 49, Jalaj Saxena 3/46) by 71 runs.
