Ranji Trophy, semi-final: Patel helps Gujarat dominate Kerala
What's the story
Gujarat put up a dominant show against Kerala on Day 4 of the ongoing Ranji Trophy semi-final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Jaymeet Patel spearheaded the team with a brilliant half-century, returning unbeaten on 74. Siddharth Desai also played a crucial role in boosting Gujarat's score, remaining not out of 24. Their brilliance meant Gujarat finished Day 4 at 429/7. Notably, Kerala posted 457/10 while batting first.
Unbeaten partnership
Patel and Desai fight back for Gujarat
Patel and Desai showcased remarkable character in the final session as their unbeaten 72-run stand took Gujarat past 400. Meanwhile, Gujarat resumed the day at 222/1. Centurion from the previous day, Priyank Panchal (148) was dismissed early. Manan Hingrajia (33), Manan Hingrajia (25), and Hemang Patel (27) threw away their starts before Patel and Desai rescued the batting team. Jalaj Saxena took four wickets.
Significance
Significance of the Patel-Desai partnership
With only one day remaining in the game, a drawn result is all but certain. However, it must be noted that if there is no outright result in a knock-out Ranji Trophy match, the team leading after the first innings wins. Gujarat are currently trailing by 28 runs and still have three wickets remaining. They hence would back themselves to go past Kerala's total.
Stats
Over 600 runs in the season for
Patel returned unbeaten on 74 off 161 balls as he smoked two boundaries during his stay. The 22-year-old made his First-Class debut at the start of the season. Playing his ninth game, he has raced to 656 runs at a sensational average of 54.66. This was his fifth fifty (100s: 2).