Kerala suffer crushing 287-run defeat against Bengal in Ranji Trophy

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala suffered a crushing 287-run defeat against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Group C match after being bowled out for 120 while chasing a target of 408 on the final day.

Pradipta Pramanik led Bengal's bowling attack, claiming six wickets to dismantle Kerala's second innings. Mohammed Shami and Shahbaz Ahmed chipped in with two wickets each.

Shahbaz was named Player of the Match after scoring a century in the first innings and taking four wickets across both innings.

Kerala, who have eight points from three matches, including one win, one defeat and one draw, are third in Group C. They will next face Gujarat from November 2.

Resuming the final day at 53/4 in their second innings, Kerala managed to add only 67 runs before losing their remaining six wickets. Lower-order batter M D Nidheesh top-scored with 33, helping Kerala cross the 100-run mark, while Mohammed Azharuddeen contributed 26.

Kerala had resumed their first innings at 101/6 on Wednesday and were bowled out for 141 after adding just 40 runs. Bengal chose to bat again rather than enforce the follow-on and were dismissed for 198 in their second innings.

Jalaj Saxena claimed five wickets and Aditya Sarwate took three as Kerala restricted Bengal's attempts to build a bigger lead through aggressive scoring.

Chasing the daunting target, Kerala got off to a disastrous start as openers Abhishek J. Nair and Abhishek P Nair were dismissed for ducks off successive deliveries. Saxena, who scored 18, and Sachin Baby, who made 10, also fell soon afterwards, leaving Kerala struggling to stay in the contest.
Final Score: Bengal 350 and 198; Kerala 141 and 120.