Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala scripted a come-from-behind victory when they trounced Punjab in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C opener at the St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba, on Monday.
Chasing a modest 158-run target, Kerala reached home soon after tea on the final day for the loss of 2 wickets.
Captain Sachin Baby led from the front, scoring 56, after his opening partner Rohan Kunnummal raced to 48 in 36 balls. However, Sachin could not see the team to victory, falling 10 runs short of the target.
Baba Aparajith, playing his first match for Kerala, and Salman Nizar then guided the team to victory without any more trouble.
After conceding a slender 16-run lead on the penultimate day on Sunday, Kerala's three outstation players joined hands to spin the visitors out for 141 in just 55.1 overs. Aditya Sarvate and Aparajith took four wickets each, while Jalaj Saxena returned with 2 for 40 to give Kerala an excellent chance to secure all 6 points.
Sarvate, the Vidarbha spinner, playing his first match for Kerala, ended with match figures of 9 for 105, while Saxena took 7 wickets for 121.
For Punjab, the lone resistance came from their wicket-keeper captain Prabhsimran Singh, who scored 51 before falling to Saxena.
Brief scores:
Punjab 194 & 142 in 55.1 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 51, Anmolpreet Singh 37, Aditya Sarvate 4-43, Jalaj Saxena 2-0, Baba Aparajith 4-35) lost to Kerala 179 & 158/2 in 36 overs (Sachin Baby 56, Rohan Kunnummal 48, Baba Aparajith 39).
Points: Kerala 6; Punjab-0