KOCHI: After yet another tough duel dotted with several heartstopping moments, Kerala have scripted history by making their way to the final of the Ranji Trophy national cricket championship for the first time ever.
Sachin Baby and his spirited team are flying to Nagpur for the summit clash of the marquee tournament against former champions Vidarbha, slated to begin on February 26. The 2018 semifinal loss against the same opponents at Wayanad is now a thing of the past.
For the captain, the dream run - unbeaten in nine matches this season - is the result of the team’s hunger to win.
“From the first day we came together as a team, we knew one thing - miracles are going to happen to this team. And that’s what we saw in the last nine matches. We have experienced a semifinal before and we were all very hungry for a final,” Sachin told TNIE from Ahmedabad.
The semifinal against Gujarat was a thrilling, intense affair over the past five days, he said.
“Though we have played such matches in leagues, this is the first experience in a tournament of this stature. So we wanted to win and feel the taste of a domestic cup. We are delighted that we have come so far,” the seasoned Kerala skipper said.
After all the close calls and the drama over Salman Nizar’s ‘helmet’, after the ball bounced off him and nestled into Sachin’s hands, the fortune that got Kerala to the semifinal in the form of a single-run first innings lead, backed them again, this time by two runs.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Azharuddeen, who became Kerala’s first-ever centurion in a Ranji semifinal with an unbeaten 177, said: “I’m really happy I could contribute to the team when it was most needed. And since it’s the first time (final entry), the success is sweeter,” Azharuddeen said.
“When we realised this was going to be a single-innings match because of the condition of the pitch, we fought hard. We had no second chance, so the pressure was definitely high,” he said.
For Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), years of planning and hard work are finally paying dividends.
“The wins in the last two matches were hard-fought. A few years ago, Kerala was a team that lost to everyone and now we are one of the top two teams in the country. We built it up through all these years of hard work and constant improvement,” KCA president Jayesh George said.
