Ahmedabad: Mohammed Azharudeen’s dogged 149 not out, his first hundred in red ball cricket in seven years, took Kerala to a commanding 418 for seven at stumps on day two of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Gujarat here on Tuesday.
Kerala, who have not gone past the semifinals in the premier domestic red ball event, had resumed the day at 206 for four.
Skipper Sachin Baby, who was on 69 overnight, did not trouble the scorers on the following day as he was removed by left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla on the second ball of the day.
A 149-run stand between Azharudeen and Salman Nizar (52 off 202) followed, taking Kerala past the 350-run mark. On day three, Kerala would like to bat as long as possible and then aim for the all-important first-innings lead over the home team on a flat track.
Azharudeen, who was on 30 overnight, carried his bat though the day with his unbeaten 149 coming off 303 balls. His gritty effort comprised 17 fours with majority of his boundaries coming on the off-side.
Remarkably, it was the 30-year-old’s second first-class hundred and first after seven years, having made his Ranji debut back in November 2015.
Nagwaswalla was the pick of Gujarat bowlers on Tuesday and has taken three wickets thus far. The left-arm pacer had got rid of Ahammed Imran (24) towards close of play as he frustrated the hosts with a 40-run stand with Azharudeen.
Kerala’s batting approach was questionable in good batting conditions. After accumulating 206 on the opening day, they could only add 212 on Tuesday.
Gujarat will have to be at their best with the bat to wrest the advantage from the visitors.
Brief scores: Kerala 418/7 in 177 overs (Mohammed Azharudeen 149 not out; Arzan Nagwaswalla 3/64).
