One of the great cricketing diktats goes like this: When you win the toss on a good wicket, you bat. When you win the toss on a dodgy wicket, you think about it and then bat. When you win the toss on a deplorable wicket, you think harder and still bat.
Kerala did not pay heed to this age-old dictum in the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. On a benign pitch in Nagpur, they opted to bowl and initially found some success. However, they were countered by an unbelievable ploy from the home team. Vidarbha sent in their bowlers to negotiate the freshness in the pitch during the early overs, sacrificing a few wickets in the process but keeping their main batting order intact.
This unexpected gamble helped Vidarbha move into a position of control after Day 1 of this five-day contest, being played on a featherbed where batters can thrive if they apply themselves. Parth Rekhade and Darshan Nalkande were sacrificed, while specialist opener Dhruv Shorey fell to a good delivery. At 24 for 3 in the 13th over, Vidarbha were in trouble.
That’s when the match truly began. With the early moisture gone, the pitch became a paradise for batting. Danish Malewar, a debutant this season, and the seasoned Karun Nair dug deep to put their team in the hunt for a big first-innings total. Their fourth-wicket partnership yielded 215 runs. Malewar remained unbeaten on 138, while Nair, after all his hard work, fell for 86. At 254 for 4, it was Vidarbha’s day. Kerala are not entirely out of it, but the first-day honours belong to the home side.
Kerala altered their strategy by dropping a batter and including 19-year-old medium-pacer Eden Apple Tom. He generated good pace and troubled the batters with his lively action. His deliveries jagged back from an inward wrist position, catching them off guard. However, this lasted only for the first hour. After that, it was all about the batters.
Malewar is a composed batter who prefers the ball coming onto the bat rather than forcing the pace. He waited on the back foot and showcased his class with exquisite wristy strokes through the on-side. His timing was impeccable, making it a delight for neutral viewers and a nightmare for Kerala.
The first-time finalists threw everything they had at Vidarbha, but this Day 1 pitch had little to offer the bowlers. Malewar and Nair countered Kerala with authority, aided by conditions that heavily favoured batting. The scoring rate was not particularly high, yet it did not reflect the kind of dominance the batters exhibited.
With batters like Yash Rathod still to come, Vidarbha will look to bat for as long as possible. This is the same approach Kerala would have aimed for, but now, with the advantage of batting first and the opportunity to build scoreboard pressure, Vidarbha are in control. After winning their last two matches by narrow one-run and two-run margins, Kerala now face the daunting task of chasing a much larger total.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 254/4 (Danish Malewar 138 batting, Karun Nair 86, MD Nidheesh 2/33) vs Kerala.