Kerala dominates Punjab on Day 1 of Ranji Trophy clash

Punjab suffered a batting collapse against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. At St. Xavier's College Ground, after winning the toss and electing to bat, Punjab ended day one at 95 for 5 due to early stumps caused by rain. Krish Bhagat (6) and Ramandeep Singh (28) were at the crease. Aditya Sarwate, with three wickets, and Jalaj Saxena, with two, were the destroyers for Kerala. Both are playing as guest players for the Kerala team.

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Punjab, after winning the toss and electing to bat, suffered an early setback in the first over. Abhay Chaudhary was dismissed by Aditya Sarwate, caught by captain Sachin Baby, before opening his account. Naman Dhir and Anmolpreet Singh tried to steady the innings, but Sarwate struck again, dismissing Dhir (10), pushing Punjab on the back foot. Sarwate then bowled captain Prabhsimran Singh (12), leaving Punjab reeling at 37-3. Jalaj Saxena then joined the party, sending Nehal Wadhera (9) back to the pavilion, and later dismissing the resilient Anmolpreet (28), reducing Punjab to 62-5 and triggering a collapse.

However, Ramandeep Singh (28) and Krish Bhagat (6) combined for the sixth wicket to take Punjab to 96 without further loss. Krish Bhagat consumed 56 balls for his six runs. Rain interruptions throughout the day hampered Kerala's progress. Kerala is playing without Sanju Samson, who is with the Indian team for the T20 series against Bangladesh. Sachin Baby is leading the Kerala side.

Kerala Team: Sachin Baby (c), Rohan Kunnummal, Baba Aparajith, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Jalaj Saxena, Aditya Sarwate, Basil Thampi, Vishnu Vinod, Salman Nizar, Vathsal Govind, Akshay Chandran 

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