Veteran Sachin Baby steadied Kerala's innings with a resolute unbeaten half-century, guiding his team to 206/4 against a probing Gujarat attack on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal in AHmedabad on Monday.
The 36-year-old southpaw occupied the crease for two full sessions, crafting an unbeaten 69 off 193 balls (8x4) that kept their maiden final hopes alive.
He found an able ally in Mohammed Azharuddeen, who remained unbeaten on 30 off 66 balls (3x4) after surviving a last-ball LBW scare as DRS overturned the decision, denying Gujarat a breakthrough right before stumps.
Trapped LBW by Chintan Gaja, the Kerala keeper-batter was given out by the on-field umpire, sparking celebrations in Gujarat camp.
However, the batter immediately reviewed the decision, and ball-tracking confirmed it was sliding down the leg side as Kerala heaved a sigh of relief, ending the day without further damage.
Their unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 49 runs kept Kerala afloat against Gujarat's relentless bowling attack, which deployed seven bowlers, though only Arzan Nagwaswalla (16-4-39-1), Priyajitsing Jadeja (12-0-33-1), and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (15-2-33-1) managed breakthroughs.
With Kerala looking to build on their total, the first session on day two will be crucial, and Baby's innings will hold the key.
On the other hand, the hosts, seeking their first final appearance since their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2016-17, will look to seize control early.
Opting to bat, Kerala started well, but none of the top-order batters could convert their starts into a big knocks.
While wickets fell at regular intervals, Baby stood firm, bringing up his 28th first-class fifty.
The scoring rate, however, remained sluggish throughout the day as Kerala crawled to 200 in 86.3 overs, consuming over 470 dot balls.
Gujarat toiled hard, and the crucial strikes and low-scoring run-rate from Kerala definitely kept them in the contest.
With four wickets down, an early breakthrough on day two could tilt the balance in favour of the home side.
Kerala looked to be settling in when left-arm pacer Nagwaswalla broke a promising fourth-wicket partnership, worth 71 runs, cleaning up Jalaj Saxena.
Attempting a late cut off a back-of-a-length delivery, Jalaj only managed to drag the ball onto his stumps. The wicket came just a delivery after he had survived an LBW review.
Baby was highly disciplined in his approach, displaying excellent judgment outside the off-stump and rarely flirting with deliveries in the fourth-stump channel.
The experienced left-hander took his time, grinding out a patient innings against a Gujarat attack that bowled with discipline.
Azharuddeen, Kerala's second-highest run-getter this season, took 11 deliveries to get off the mark but provided solid support to Baby.
Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai exploited the rough patches outside off-stump, but Baby remained unperturbed, watching the ball closely and countering spin with a solid defence.
Despite the second new ball being available, Gujarat refrained from taking it, preferring to persist with Desai and Bishnoi in the closing stages of the day, with close-in fielders crowding the batters.
They finally took the second new ball in the 86th over but did not taste any success.
Earlier, Kerala made up a solid start with openers Rohan Kunnummal and Akshay Chandran negotiating the new ball spells of Chintan Gaja and Nagwaswalla without any trouble.
The duo put up a 60-run stand, showing patience against the Gujarat bowlers while capitalising on loose deliveries.
However, Gujarat struck back before the lunch break when a mix-up led to Chandran's run out for 30 off 71 balls (5x4).
Within four overs, Gujarat struck again when Kunnummal was trapped leg-before by Bishnoi for 30 off 68 balls (5x4) after an unsuccessful DRS review. Kerala, from a steady 60/0, found themselves at 63/2.
The left-right combination had looked comfortable, but the two dismissals came against the run of play, leaving Kerala with two new batters at the crease.
Varun Nayanar's tentative stay ended at 10, edging Jadeja behind, reducing Kerala to 86/3.
From there, Baby and Jalaj steadied the innings with their cautious partnership, frustrating the Gujarat attack.
Gujarat even lost a review when Bishnoi's appeal against Jalaj was turned down.
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