Home advantage

Nov 09, 2011 - Arun George |

Kochi

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A memorable Ranji match against Vidharbha that included Sony Cheruvathur’s century and Prasanth Padmanabhan’s five-wicket haul was almost the perfect start to Kerala’s season opener.

Having gathered momentum from the Vidharbha game, Kerala is set to host Services, a side captained by former Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) player Yashpal Singh, in their second game of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Thursday.

“We have prepared a result oriented wicket. Medium pacers will get a lot of help initially and the forenoon session on day one will produce a respectable surface for the batters," said Kerala cricket association curator PV Ramachandran.

Skipper V A Jagadeesh who had a successful pre-season said the team had taken a lot of positives out of the Vidharbha game and were in the right frame of mind.

“The last time we played the Services was in Delhi and there we took the first innings lead, but it is a different day on a different surface. However, we will be playing at home and that will be an advantage. We hope to give it our best shot,’’ said Jagadeesh.

Wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson who made his first class debut against Vidharbha can’t wait to play his first Ranji at home. Meanwhile, visiting captain Yashpal Singh said he was delighted to be in Kochi and play against his former KTK team-mates Raiphi Vincent Gomez, Prasanth Parameswaran and Prasanth Padmanabhan.

“It feels good to be back here and meet old friends. The ground looks just like it was for the IPL --- very good. We hope to play a good match here,” said Yashpal after nets on Wednesday.

Both Kerala and the Services have a point each in the group and a result from the Kochi match will be crucial for both teams.

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