Talk of sports performances and Kerala and what would come to one’s mind if not for disciplines like athletics, football and volleyball straightway.  That’s how it has been with legends like P.T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, Valsamma, Sathyan, Pappachan, I.M. Vijayan or Jimmy George, to name just a few from the many, capturing the imagination of the sports fans. But a stunning change has come about, thanks to the state’s cricketers! Unbelievable it may sound but cricket, a sport that refused to make it big at one time, has now demanded attention after the Sachin Baby-led state team did what seemed the impossible, reaching the final of the Ranji Trophy cricket championship. You have read it right! Disbelief is what struck one as the news trickled in that Kerala surpassed Gujarat by just 2 runs in the first innings, which proved enough to win the semi-final and make a historic entry into the summit round. A great day indeed but a greater moment awaits as the final against Vidarbha to take place soon will determine whether the excitement level will reach the crescendo with actual trophy coming to the state!

As it turned out, this was not the first time that Kerala cricket had caught the eye. A few years ago, in 2018-19, the state had progressed to the semi-finals and a year prior to that it had been in the quarter final. What is more back in 1994-95 Kerala had qualified for the knockout stage for the first time.  So, there have been positives but there is no denying a phase when it appeared cricket in the state was destined to take the back seat. Still, the attachment to this sport had come about long back, in 1951-52 as Travancore-Cochin state and later in 1957 as Kerala, when the state made its debut in the Ranji championship.  Yet until much into the eighties Kerala’s Ranji cricket seemed more a perfunctory exercise, little gains but contentment to the strong rival teams like Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Karnataka for they could garner maximum points so necessary in the zonal system of competition then!

As one who had the opportunity to be stationed in Kerala as a Sports Correspondent of a leading English daily in the mid-eighties this was what struck me then.  Fresh from Mumbai where cricket was virtually the byword for sports in general, it was a surprise to confront a scenario where cricket hardly had a presence! This is not to demean Kerala cricket, but such was the way fans had embraced other sports like football, volleyball and athletics and for good reasons. Performances mattered and the state could boast of performers who had not just become national heroes but word-level names. So even if it was a fascinating journey for me into the domain of other sports, I still had a soft corner for cricket, be it Pooja tournament in Thripunithura or yes, the Ranji matches in Thalassery or Kottayam or Palakkad!  When curiosity edged me, I checked with a sports fan why cricket had such a poor following, pat came his candid reply,” what is the point in spending a whole day at the ground and returning after seeing a drab drawn match or Kerala getting crushed by the rival team. There is so much more excitement in football or volleyball where action ends fast and excitement level is high and we can see our heroes”.  That was once the ground reality!

Change, as they say, is the essence of progress. Perhaps that explains the metamorphosis that had happened in Kerala cricket thereafter.  A state which had given the BCCI, a Vice President in Shri G.V. Raja back in the fifties and much later Treasurer/ Secretary in S. Karunakaran Nair and another Vice President in T.C. Mathew in 2015 and Jayesh George as Joint Secretary, needed a change. The state had also given Indian cricket two top bowlers once, in Tinu Yohannan and S Sreesanth with wicketkeeper/batsman Sanju Samson now making waves.  A thrilled Mr Nair, who could not see the major changes coming about in his time, is only eager that the state cricketers would not stop from making it an outstanding finish to the campaign this time and come back with the trophy.

So where did it all start?  As Mathew, who was also the KCA President, was to tell PTI, infrastructure development and academies were areas that had been given the thrust. It was with a sense of elation that former state cricketer P Balachandran was viewing the present scene. The improved turf grounds made a big change, he said, as also the coming of academies. He praised the KCA’s efforts and also the coaches who had ensured that continuity was the theme in ensuring a strong bonding in the state squad. Balachandran said what impressed him most was the surge of young talents, boys and girls, to coaching centres. To him then the transformation in Kerala cricket was something that was waiting to happen.

Holding a similar view was K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan, a class leg spinner in his days as a state player and was the captain of the state team which broke through into the knockout stage for the first time in 1994-95. An Umpire now, Ananthapadmanabhan backs the KCA for its efforts to provide full-fledged turf grounds and tapping potential talent from school level.  Players like Salman Nizar and Mohammed Azharuddeen not to forget the two professionals Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate, have set the trend with their batting, bowling and all-round displays and this should catch on, was his refrain as he looked forward to greater times for Kerala cricket.

From a one-run first innings lead win over J&K and then a two-run first innings lead win over Gujarat, this Kerala team has shown the never-say-die spirit. The men have begun to flourish but wait, the women too are not lagging behind. Already there is one player _ VJ Joshitha _ who was part of the triumphant women’s U-19 world cup!  The WPL too has attracted players from Kerala.  What a change from the past as Kerala cricket sees a new dawn!