Salman Nizar ran towards the dugout, took his helmet off, bent down and saluted the sky as he brought up his second consecutive first-class century.
As he blew a kiss in the air, his Kerala teammates gave him a much-deserved standing ovation, acknowledging his efforts. It was the second ton of his decade-long career, and the timing couldn’t have been better.
When Kerala started the day’s proceedings at 200 for 9, not many imagined the team would put up a fight for the last wicket. But coming on the back of a gritty 150 against Bihar, Nizar (112 n.o., 172b, 12×4, 4×6) had other plans.
At the MCA Stadium on Monday, he forged an 81-run partnership with Basil Thampi and ensured that Kerala earned a one-run lead, after restricting J&K to 280 in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals.
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Nizar followed the advice of his senior Jalaj Saxena and targeted slower balls. He also stepped out occasionally against the spinners, while avoiding any drive. That strategy helped as he put the pressure back on the Jammu and Kashmir bowlers, hitting a flurry of boundaries and four sixes, while Thampi held fort at the other end.
Ever since making his first-class debut for Kerala, Nizar has been in and out of the team, but this season, he has bolstered the team’s middle-order. By guiding the team out of the woods and helping it gain a slender lead, he once again proved his mettle.
However, with Auqib Nabi claiming his sixth wicket, dismissing Thampi, Kerala could not extend the lead further.
J&K had a shaky start as MD Nidheesh dismissed openers Shubham Khajuria and Yawer Hassan early, before Vivrant Sharma failed to capitalise on the start and ended up offering a regulation catch at slips to Sachin Baby off a NP Basil delivery.
However, captain Paras Dogra led J&K’s recovery and ensured that there weren’t further slip-ups. After a string of low scores, Dogra found his mojo with a classy unbeaten 73 (148b, 7×4, 1×6) as J&K ended the day at 180 for 3, with a lead of 179 runs.
While Dogra made the most of the conditions and played his natural game, wicketkeeper-batter Kanhaiya Wadhawan, who injured his thumb a day earlier, chipped in with an unbeaten 42 to forge an 102-run partnership for the fourth wicket and keep J&K in the hunt.