The fairy tale rise of Kerala cricket when they conquered giants Mumbai and Delhi

By K.R. Nayar

It was a special week for Kerala cricket and its cricketers. A team that was once considered weak and has struggled to make a mark in the Indian cricket map, defeated giant teams like Mumbai and Delhi in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It was a dream come true for many past players who continued playing despite facing humiliating defeats and motivated youngsters to take up the game

Kerala team gearing up during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 

It was a special day in the history of Indian cricket when the Kerala cricket team beat Mumbai and Delhi, the giants of Indian cricket, in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq  Ali Trophy tournament. Whether Kerala goes on to win this trophy or not, this achievement by them will stand out as a golden moment in their cricket history. Many would have considered this as a joke if the achievement of this kind was mentioned as one of Kerala cricket’s goal 15 years ago. 

The enormity of this team’s achievement can be comprehended only by those who have seen Kerala cricket struggle to find a place in India’s cricket map. Along with many others, I feel proud to have served Kerala cricket in different roles during the early years of my career with the main goal being to promote the game.

There was a time when Kerala lost almost all their matches and faced humiliating defeats. They would lose Ranji Trophy matches in just two days! Despite all this, there were those who played the game with enthusiasm and its spirit.  Since there were no turf wickets in Kerala those days, players got to play on a turf wicket only during the matches held outside Kerala. And yet some of the players hit centuries and produced five-wicket spells.

Kerala team players after a work out at the gym in Mumbai 

There was a time when state players from Kerala would yearn to catch a glance at some of the great players from Mumbai and Delhi, especially when they were invited to play in an exhibition match. The biggest reward those days for consistent performance in a season was getting picked into the South Zone team as the 14th or 15th member of the team for the Duleep Trophy. There was an instance of one such Kerala player, who was thus picked for the South Zone squad, being told by his South Zone skipper to stay out and watch the game!

There are many who have experienced such setbacks both on and off the field and still continued to play the game. In Kerala those days, fans considered their top performers as heroes. They were seen as brave warriors who faced a battle against a powerful opponent and tried to give their best. A salute goes out to all those who stuck with the game for as long as they could. Many youngsters who played the Under-15 and Under-19 matches may have got thrashed, but they did not give up and later went on to play for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. 

Since playing cricket did not guarantee a job, a question that most cricketers faced at that time was as to why they were playing a game that would not fetch them any returns. But yet, it was just the hope that someday Kerala would create a mark and some cricketers would emerge as outstanding players that got everyone going. 

This reminds me of an instance in the nineties when the legendary cricket writer and Sports Editor, Times of India, the late Sundar Rajan, while reporting a One Day International match in Trivandrum, wrote that “One day Kerala may produce a fast bowler because if they can produce the best athletes in the country, nothing should stop them from  producing the best fast bowler.”

Unfortunately, Rajan passed away in 2000, one year before Kerala medium-pacer Tinu Yohannan got picked into the Indian team and five years before S. Sreesanth made his debut and earned international acclaim.

Kerala's performance this week will be a special and gratifying one for all those who believed that such performances would happen. In addition to Kerala beating Mumbai and Delhi, a Kerala cricketer CP Rizwan, playing for the UAE, became the first Keralite to hit a century in a One Day International against Ireland.

Kerala’s rise reminds me of a lovely quote from the former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. “Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some happy, some exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds.”

Kerala never gave up and has created a golden chapter for itself with the hope for many more such glorious moments in the future.