Thiruvananthapuram: Odisha batters’ shortcomings against spin were exposed once again as Kerala cruised to an innings-and-36-run victory in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C clash at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Wednesday.
Having managed 225 in the first innings in reply to Kerala’s 404, Odisha were bundled out for 143 on the final day after being asked to follow on.
It’s the possible start to the 2026-27 season for Odisha, who had lost to Gujarat by 10 wickets in the opener. Odisha, who find themselves at the bottom of Group C without a point, will look forward to their first home game next week, against Services in Bhubaneswar.
The 39-year-old Jalaj Saxena, with over 500 scalps in his long first-class career, added five more to his tally for a match haul of 7/110. Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate, another veteran, bagged two wickets to add to his three victims in the first innings.
Gourav Choudhury was among the rare bright spots in a dismal Odisha show, scoring fifties in both innings. Gourav had hit a century in the previous game, also in a losing cause.
Skipper Subhranshu Senapati showed some resistance also, with scores of 50 and 30. But Odisha needed much more from their batters to make a match of it.
BRIEF SCORES
Kerala first innings: 404
Odisha first innings: 225 (Gourav Choudhury 50, Subhranshu Senapati 50, Lalit Yadav 37; Vaisakh Chandran 4/40, Aditya Sarwate 3/56).
Odisha second innings (following on): 143 (Gourav Choudhury 53, Subhranshu Senapati 30; Jalaj Saxena 5/34).
Result: Kerala won by an innings and 36 runs.
Points: Kerala 7, Odisha 0.
Next match: Odisha vs Services at Bhubaneswar, from Oct 26.
