Despite a not-so-impressive bowling show for most part, Kerala's spinners exploited the variable bounce on the pitch to pick up 13 wickets on day three in their Ranji Trophy cricket match against Services and leave their side eyeing their first win of the season here today.
A counterattacking 157 from Rajat Paliwal and his 197-run fourth-wicket stand with Yashpal Singh notwithstanding, Services were unable to avoid the follow-on.
Sent in again, they slipped to 122 for 6 by stumps at Conor Vayal Stadium at Tellicherry.
They were 53 for 6 at one stage, before Nakul Verma (25 batting) and the aggressive Saurabh Kumar (41 batting) dragged the score into three figures and the match into the final day.
Akshay Chandran, the debutant left-arm spinner, took plenty of punishment from Paliwal and Yashpal in the first innings but came back with five wickets in no time in the second.
Leg-spinner Amit Verma took two wickets on the second evening and three at the end of Services' first-innings to claim his second five-for on the bounce, after his 5/61 against Tripura.
