9.15am Are we in for a potentially tasty day four? Vidarbha are psychologically ahead after a 37-run first-innings lead, but the ball was turning last night, and there are plenty of footmarks for the spinners to exploit. And hence, little surprise that Harsh Dubey was one of Vidarbha's stars last evening against Kerala, who, in their maiden Ranji final, will hope the ball - and with it, the match - turns in their favour.

Just a ten-minute break between innings fyi.

Varshini : "Kerala have punched above their weight collectively today. But for that missed chance of wadkar at deep point/ 3rd man (Nedumankuzy Basil was up when he should have been on the ropes) , kerala have been excellent. Feel Karun Nair's run out last evening would be a massive turning point in the game !"

But cameos from the lower order stretched Vidarbha's innings through a three-hour session, with Nos. 8 to 11 getting into double figures. Bhute's 32 led the tenth-wicket stand of 44 off 58, and the value of those runs is likely to increase as the game progresses. But for now, the conditions are still good for batting. Can Kerala's top order make the most of them or will Vidarbha's new-ball bowler have the decisive say? Stay tuned to find out.

1:23pm, day 2, innings break: Kerala have pulled it back bigtime. Vidarbha started the day at 254 for 4 and got off to a good start today. But Basil dismissed Malewar (153) and Thakur (25) quickly. The slump extended when Apple Tom found his lengths in the second spell to have the in-form Rathod caught at slip. Eight wickets for the seamers in total.

nikhil khatri: "how important is tail wagging ..not only it adds valuable runs but it also gives fair idea to bowlers how pitch is behaving"

Over the wicket

Nidheesh to kick things off.

1:10pm, Day 2, Session 2: Welcome back. The afternoon is as bright and sunny as expected. The heat is on Kerala, who despite having taken five wickets have conceded a 38-run partnership, which could grow now. Can they clear things now? Or will Bhute and Dubey carry on from where they left off?

12.38pm Wow, we had three full hours of cricket in the morning session and what a session it was! Vidarbha slid from 290/4 to 335/9 but this late resistance from the tenth-wicket partnership has brought some parity to the session. It's still Kerala's session but Vidarbha have closed the gap by getting close to 400.

Credit to Basil, Rohan and Eden for keeping the intensity up this morning. Kerala needed their players to be switched on, and they have majorly been so. They'll want to swiftly take the tenth wicket and then begin their response while the pitch is still good. See you shortly for the second session.

Sukanya : "How the control pendulum of this match has kept oscillating from the 1st session of the match. Enthralling contests between bat and ball. Nachiket Bhute using the long handle , denying Kerala , has added more flavor to this encounter!"