Sachin Baby plays a shot on the opening day.
| Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY

There was a stark contrast between the teams fielded by Gujarat and Kerala during the Ranji Trophy semifinal being played here.

While Gujarat opted to go with four medium-pacers, Kerala chose just two frontline pacers in its team. Kerala skipper Sachin Baby had the rub of the green, winning the toss and opting to bat, hoping to put up a daunting first-innings score.

“When we saw the wicket in the morning, we thought it was a little dry. We were contemplating playing three fast bowlers earlier. Luckily, we won the toss and batted,” Baby said at the end of the first day’s play.

“There is a dryness in the wicket and we have to put up a big score to give our bowlers a cushion. Spinners are the main threat in our playing XI and they will get more help from the surface in the coming days.”

Kerala ended the day with 206 runs on the board for the loss of four wickets and the side’s approach came in for some criticism from the commentators. Baby, however, suggested that the match circumstance demanded some careful batting.

“The game has to be played based on the situation. First, we thought we’ll take the team into a good position and then push,” he said.

“If we were only one or two wickets down, the score would have been much higher. If we stitch up a big partnership and tire the bowlers, opportunities will arise to score quicker,” he added.