Sachin Baby returned to form by scoring his first fifty of the season after Kerala took the lead against Madhya Pradesh on Day 3 of a Ranji Trophy match in Indore on Tuesday.

Sachin (85) and Baba Aparajith (89) stitched up an unbeaten 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket to steer Kerala to 226/3 at stumps, stretching the lead to 315 runs.

Experienced left-hander Sachin, who led Kerala to their maiden Ranji Trophy final last season, had not scored in excess of 36 in a match across seven innings. He was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, but raised his game in Kerala's second innings.

It was a patient innings that took Sachin 120 deliveries to reach his 30th first-class half-century. Sachin got a reprieve on 28 when Harpreet Bhatia dropped him at first slip off Kuldeep Sen's bowling. He reached his fifty with a quick single, but once he got over the barrier, Sachin was back to his best, playing a glorious inside-out shot off Saransh Jain to fetch a boundary.

At the other end, Baba Aparajith, the batter in form, scored steadily to score his fifty off just 68 deliveries. Aparajith was dismissed on 98 in the first innings.

Madhya Pradesh had resumed at 155/6, with Jain and Aryan Pandey going steady. But Kerala struck early through young pacer Eden Apple Tom, who removed Pandey (36) and Arshad Khan in successive deliveries. Jain was the last to fall after a fine 67, which helped the hosts reach 192, 89 runs short of Kerala's first-innings score.

Kerala have taken the lead only for the second time this season, after a thrilling draw against Saurashtra last week. Mohammed Azharuddeen-led Kerala will be hoping to secure their first win of the season in Indore.

Brief scores: Kerala 281 & 226/3 in 64 overs (Sachin Baby 85 not out, Baba Aparajith 89 not out, Abhishek J Nair 30) vs MP 192 in 77.1 overs (Saransh Jain 67, Aryan Pandey 36, Eden Apple Tom 4/55, MD Nidheesh 3/44). Stumps on Day 3

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