At the presentation ceremony, Kerala captain Sachin Baby fired a friendly warning, turning his head towards Vidarbha cricketers: “You guys have beaten us in all three knockout stages. Next time, guys, we’ll beat you. We’ll give you a tougher time!” The banter, finally, sprinkled some cheer on the face of Kerala’s downcast cricketers, hands wrapped over each other’s shoulders, collective in their passage of grief.
Commiserations and consolation flowed. Some of Vidarbha’s cricketers, had arms of comfort around the disconsolate Kerala counterparts. Vanquished in last year’s final, they could relate to their plight. Kerala players reciprocated with uneasy smiles, but the pain was evident in their hollow eyes. What would pique them when they reflect on a memorable journey but with a heartbreak twist at the climax is the moments that they didn’t seize and the tactical naivety they betrayed in clutch junctures.
From bestowing Vidarbha with the best of conditions to bat after winning the toss, to defensive field placings throughout the game, to instances of individual letdowns – like Sachin slog-sweeping two runs adrift of his century with the lead in the vicinity – and Akshay Chandran spilling a dolly of eventual centurion Karun Nair at first slip, Kerala let moments pass by with the passivity of nervous freshers.
Sachin owned up his moment of indiscretion. “As the leader, I’ll take the blame. My shot changed the momentum of the game. I wanted to be there for the team, and we were six down. wanted to be there till the end to get the lead. Wanted to have a lead of 100-plus if at all we got a lead. That would have made a difference,” he says. He still can’t put into words what went through his mind. “I was playing all along the ground till that moment, but then I don’t know what happened and why I played that shot. But that and the dropped catch of Karun were important moments of the game,” he says.
Also read: Third Ranji Trophy title in seven years means Vidarbha no longer domestic upstarts
When the pain ebbs, coach Amay Khurasiya and Co would find the comforts of a resurgent season. It’s the first time Kerala had ever featured in a final; they were nerveless in the grind to the eventual destination, seeing out close games and surviving intense pressure; there is a sturdy base to string together a more competitive team for the future.
They could glean lessons too. Like the need to discover top-order hands who could consistently compose hundreds, so that the middle-order bulwarks, Salman Nizar and Mohammed Azharuddeen, could shine brighter. The pairs’ best years are yet to come. The rough edges of Rohan Kunnumal and Ahammed Imran could be polished and they could sparkle. Eden Apple Tom, only 19, could be groomed into a strike force of the future. Vidarbha coach Usman Ghani, who had trained him at the NCA was happily surprised by his improvement. “Some of his spells were really good, bowled at good pace and found movement. I was impressed with his development and the way he bowled,” he observes.
A condition-transcending spinner too could be high on the priority. Both Aditya Sarwate and Jalaj Saxena, 35 and 38, conveyed signs of creaking as well as their over-reliance on custom-made pitches of Thumba. Sarwate has lost much of the zip that propelled his sub-20 average. Saxena cannot sustain his incisiveness throughout a long spell. The spin cupboard in the state is thin, but if they could recruit one, like Saxena in his prime years, and invest in manufacturing one from age-group cricket, the title push in the coming years could be stronger.
Kerala should ensure that they are not one-season wonders, but that they are a certifiably progressing side, the curve shooting upwards, and it’s not a false dawn like it was in the 2017-18 season. The journey was orchestrated by the irrepressible new-ball duo of Basil Thampi and Sandeep Warrier. Both were lost in grooming and never scaled the heights they were touted to.
Then, Kerala cricket should remember they have endured harder matches and darker patches, and those overreacting to the final stumble must have forgotten both how poorly they have played at points in the past, and how well they have tended to rally and respond when they have been written off this season. The team deserves faith. “We would look to work on the positives we have achieved this year and hope to make the next big step in the game,” Sachin says.
There are no better teams to borrow optimism and belief than Vidarbha. Ploughing the Plate a decade ago, leaning heavily on imports to prop up their comeuppance, each blow has only made them stronger in their transformation from underdogs, to pretenders, to challengers and a certified superpower. Kerala’s next big challenge would be to reproduce in real life the friendly warning Sachin fired. And this would be the dream that fires Kerala next season.
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