AHMEDABAD: Kerala and Gujarat made the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, which will begin here from Monday, in contrasting ways. While Kerala barely managed to squeeze through based on a one-run first-innings lead in the quarter-final against Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat were supremely dominant, pulling off a triumph by an innings and 98 runs against Saurashtra, making it their second win by an innings in their last three matches.
The attributes common between both sides, however, are strong team spirit, desire to fight till the end and a hunger to excel across departments. Should they beat Gujarat, it would prove a historic moment for Kerala, who will then be recording their first-ever appearance in a Ranji final. A Gujarat triumph, on the other hand, will result in them entering the final after their triumphant 2016-17 season, in which they beat Mumbai for the title.
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A close look at the runscoring charts across both teams tells us the absence of even a single player in the top 20 of leading run-scorers. Gujarat’s Jaymeet Patel (582 runs) is best placed in this regard, occupying the 21st position. Teammate Manan Hingrajia ranks next highest in 24th position after accumulating 570 runs. Salman Nizar is the top run-getter for Kerala, scoring 555 runs.
However, players across both these sides have stepped up whenever the occasion has demanded, as was evident from the strong partnership under pressure between Kerala’s Nizar and Mohammed Azharuddeen against Jammu & Kashmir. The two batters stayed resolute despite the intensity in the spells delivered by the Jammu & Kashmir bowlers and the weight of expectation.