Ranji Trophy Kar vs Ker | Opener Rohan’s breezy half-century highlight of truncated first day

Karnataka cricket team battles weather delays and strong opponents in Ranji Trophy match against Kerala at Alur Grounds.

Fighting the weather Gods is like tilting at windmills. Cricket is one of the best examples, where if the elements decide to ruin a party, players often resemble stranded campers on a treacherous mountain. They have to bide their time, wait for the storm to pass and maybe bite off a few nails to let the nervous energy out.

Karnataka did this in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C opener away to Madhya Pradesh last week, and returned with a solitary point. After a second experience on Friday, Mayank Agarwal & Co. will be praying that they don’t end up with similar returns, for that can jeopardise their chances of progressing.

On day one of Karnataka’s match against Kerala at the Alur Grounds near here, play started six hours late because a couple of wet spots — following incessant and inundating rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a drizzle on Thursday — would refuse to dry out even under the blazing sun. It came hard on the heels of two international venues in Kanpur and Indore being in the dock for sub-par drainage facilities.

And once the damp patches caught up with the standards of the rest of the bone-dry Alur field, it was the turn of the visitors to frustrate Karnataka. At stumps, Kerala, asked to bat first, reached 88 for no loss, with Rohan Kunnummal batting positively (57 batting, 74b, 9x4, 1x6) and Vathsal Govind essaying a stellar supporting act (31 batting, 64b, 4x4). Play was called off owing to bad light with seven overs remaining.

Kunnummal drove superbly in the ‘V’ and also breached the fence between point and mid-off multiple times. The hoick off left-arm spinner Hardik Raj over long-off was his standout shot. Govind, in contrast to his partner’s hustle and bustle, was sedate. He eschewed expansive stroke-play, and mostly clipped off his pads, steered behind square and swept cleanly.

Karnataka was left exasperated by the umpires as well, unmoved as the decision-makers were during two close shouts for leg-before against Kunnummal from speedsters V. Koushik and Vidyadhar Patil, Prasidh Krishna’s replacement. If Saturday isn’t better, the host will be on a very slippery slope.

The scores: