For generations, children in India have grown up and continue to grow up being inducted into cricket by their elders, peers, or the country’s perennial love for the game. While most dream of representing the country, only some find it in themselves to strive for it relentlessly. For Bengaluru-based Keziah Miriam Sabin, the journey has been far from typical. She never had sports in her mind because she was more invested in dance; secondly, and more interestingly, Sabin plays not for India, but the UAE national team.
Born in Dubai and brought up in Kerala, cricket was far from ‘the plan’ growing up, and not even an area of interest for Sabin. “My dad was always into sports. He once took my brother and me to a cricket ground and that’s how I entered into the world of cricket,” she reminisces. Having grown up in Thiruvananthapuram, her ascent through the ranks began there. “I started my coaching in Thiruvananthapuram, where I was studying and where my family was settled. Because I started there, I went in for the selections for the Thiruvananthapuram district division and that’s how I got into the U16 team. Later I went in for the Kerala U19 selections and got into the U19 state team,” she says.
As far as her coaching is concerned, Sabin has received the best. “I practised at KCA (Kerala Cricket Association) initially. Then after we moved to Bengaluru for my training, I joined Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, the Six Cricket Community. I was training there for a while and then I went back to Thiruvananthapuram and that’s when I got a scholarship at Coaching Beyond, Ravi Shastri sir’s academy. I couldn’t complete the programme because while I was in it, I got the opportunity to go and represent the UAE team,” Sabin reveals.
Sabin’s time in the state U19 level is crucial to the career move to the UAE. As the left-handed batter recalls, her relatively short stint was less than impressive, jeopardising her spot in the team. “I didn’t have very good seasons, to be honest. I was just very new to the whole state level. As I was making my debut, I couldn’t perform really well, but then I had a few good knocks here and there against Manipur and right after that I got dropped. That’s when my journey towards the UAE team started taking shape,” she says. This move, of course, was due to part talent, part serendipity. Both of Sabin’s parents, at the time of her birth were journalists in the UAE. “If you’re from a country and you need to play for another country, there’s this cooling period of three years. In my case, I was born in Dubai. Because of the birthright privilege, I didn’t have to go through the cooling period. I could directly join the camp and the selection process,” she says.
While Sabin started with a dream to represent India, she remains committed to the UAE national team. She confesses, “My short-term goal surrounds the World Cup qualifiers next month. We want to make our entry into the World Cup and play against teams like India, England and Australia.” Focussed on the journey ahead, a jocular Sabin maintains a never-say-never policy, saying, “Playing for India, as of now, is not on my list. But let’s see how it goes in the future.”