KOCHI: Just as the Malayalam movie ‘1983’ portrayed, there was a time when a generation in Kerala got hooked to the magic of cricket. As Kapil Dev’s India lifted the World Cup for the first time, the love for the game peaked here. In the years that followed, every yard, nook, and corner of the state saw amateur players taking to cricket, often with bats and stumps made of coconut fronds and with rubber balls.
That picture has now entirely vanished from Kerala. Instead, there are turf wickets, proper equipment, training facilities, and coaching systems in place where children from every corner of the state can gain expertise in the game.
It is a slow but steady growth that has taken the state senior men’s team to a position where the entire cricketing fraternity in the country is talking about Kerala -- a finalist in the premier domestic tournament, the Ranji Trophy.
Having first participated in the tournament as a state in 1957, Kerala had a tough time in the subsequent six decades. In the earlier format of the competition, the state had to contend with Indian cricket’s powerhouses Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Hyderabad in the south zone, with only two teams qualifying for the knockout stages.
“In the ‘80s, our team could only aspire one thing... defeat one of these powerful teams at least once,” said P Balachandran, former Kerala player and coach.
“We had exceptional talents here, but we didn’t have that 11-member strength to face the best bowlers in the country. Later, a lot of our players started moving to Madras for jobs and started playing in the league matches there. The exposure Madras league gave us was one of the biggest stepping stones.”
One of the stars during that transformation period in the ‘90s was all-rounder Feroze V Rasheed, the captain of the Kerala team that broke the mould and emerged the south zone champions for the first time, in 1996.
“It was great that we could do it twice in the ‘90s, qualify from the zone. When we look back, it was an incredible achievement with the facilities we had then,” Feroze said.
“When we started, the condition of Kerala cricket was very bad. We didn’t even have a proper coach or supporting staff, neither a decent ground to practice nor equipment, or even enough money to travel around the country for matches. All of us wished we at least had a ‘team Kerala’ cap.”
Now the situation has changed 200%, he pointed out. “KCA (Kerala Cricket Association) has put in tremendous efforts to build the game in the state... pumping money to set up grounds and all kinds of facilities. We were unlucky for many years, but we did it finally (reaching the Ranji final),” Feroze said.
The change was gradual. The shifting of matches from matting wickets to turf wickets, creation of indoor facilities that solved one major problem -- a lack of practice time because of rain, and an organised conduct of league matches at all-age groups helped build a pool of players for Kerala. Besides the years of perseverance and meticulous efforts by KCA, the game changer was a key decision in the 2000s. ‘Mission 2020’ was rolled out. Seventeen first class grounds were set up, academies were launched in all districts, and young talents were scouted and shaped. And KCA’s state academy in Kochi ended up playing a crucial role in polishing many members of the current, successful Kerala squad.
“The plan was to build a team that would win the most coveted Ranji Trophy by the year 2020. We brought in great curators, coaches, and umpires, investing in each and every level of the game. Things went almost as planned as we reached the semifinals of the tournament for the first time in 2019,” said former KCA president T C Mathew.
The future of cricket in Kerala is safe with efforts continuing, said Jayesh George, the current KCA president.
“We have a new international stadium coming up in Angamaly. There are also plans to develop our twin-grounds in Thodupuzha into a centre of excellence, like a state academy. The Kerala Cricket League was launched last year and club tournaments like President’s Cup and N S Krishnan Trophy are being conducted regularly. We have high hopes for cricket in Kerala going forward,” he said.
The success of any sport is built through victories and the influence of superstars. From pacers Tinu Yohannan and S Sreesanth to the current superstar Sanju Samson, Kerala players who made it to the national team continue to inspire younger generations. Coach Balachandran fondly added an experience he had.
“The other day, while I was on a train journey from Thrissur, a stranger came up to me identifying me as a former coach. He asked if Salman is okay (Salman Nizar was struck on the helmet in the semifinal against Gujarat) and wanted to make sure he will be playing in the final. It was a delightful surprise, that people in Kerala now talk about Salman and Azhar (Mohammed Azharuddeen) like how they talk about Kohli and Sanju,” he said.
Well, Kerala’s march to the Ranji Trophy final appears on course to set off a new cricket culture in the state.