BENGALURU: AROUND 2013, when KV Aneesh, 12 at the time, started taking a keen interest in cricket, his parents were left with a big decision. Stay in Dubai and see his interest slowly die or move back to India to encourage their kid's primary calling. It was an impossible situation. So, after thinking about it for sometime, they took the decision more and more parents are taking these days.
While the father stayed back in Dubai, mother and son relocated to Bengaluru. That's how Aneesh's cricket career began, as a hopeful 12-year-old who moved countries to try and make a name for himself. Thus began his grind in age-group cricket. In the beginning of 2024, he achieved one of his first dreams. Debuting for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. Now, two-and-a-half years later, he has ticked off another item. Scoring a ton in red-ball cricket.
Against Assam in the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy, it was Aneesh's big 100 which helped the side reach 577. After they declared with a lead of over 440 on Wednesday morning, the hosts were no match and were bowled out for 128. It gave Karnataka a second win on the bounce.
"Coming into the match, I had three consecutive 50s," Aneesh told this daily from Guwahati. "For me, it was more of trying to convert the 50s into big scores. That was spoken about in the team meetings as well. There was an emphasis on the set better going on to make big scores.
The 25-year-old, after a slightly inconsistent start to his red-ball career, has shown promises of his capacities this year. Against Saurashtra, he hit 59 and 79. He followed that up with a 68 against Tripura in Mysore before the daddy 145 against Assam. What kind of a batter is Aneesh? He himself was of the opinion that he doesn't 'compartmentalise it like that'. "I don't think I can put my batting into any category," he said. "Just strive to get my team into better positions; if it means I have to bat out a session, I can do that. If it means I have to take on the bowling, I'm ready to do that also. I can mix caution with aggression. I don't think I sort of compartmentalise my batting."
Ask him about his move from Dubai and it's clear why he credited his parents. "It was a massive decision for my parents to make," he said. "Their sacrifices are the reason why I'm here at the moment. My mother raised me from my teens till now, almost alone. My dad keeps coming, of course. Everything I am today is because of my parents."
With all three of Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul and R Smaran missing because of India commitments, it was important that the side found other stars. And the likes of Aneesh is answering that call. But their player of the season so far has been Manvanth Kumar. The tall pace-bowling all-rounder, who has already won a lot of admirers within the state cricketing fraternity, hit a quickfire unbeaten 100 (108 balls, eight fours and five sixes) in the morning session before they declared.
Brief scores: Assam 135 in 48.1 ovs and 128 in 40.2 ovs (Denish 50, Shikhar 3/33, Shreyas 4/34) lost to Karnataka 577/6 decl in 133.2 ovs (Manvanth 100 n.o, Shreyas 31 n.o)