After the high of the 2018-19 season, during which it entered the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time ever, Kerala hasn’t qualified for the knock-out stage of the premier cricket tournament.
During the same period, Kerala earned the reputation as a dangerous side, capable of upsetting top teams, in T20 and limited overs cricket. It entered the knock-out rounds consistently in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare competitions.
A new Ranji season beckons and under new coach M. Venkatramana, Kerala will look to replicate its recent success in white ball cricket into the longer format.
The former India spinner is confident that Kerala can buck the trend if the team displays the required consistency and self belief during the course of the tournament.
However, Kerala faces a formidable foe in former champion Uttar Pradesh in the opening match of the campaign at the SD College ground, which is hosting a Ranji Trophy match for the first time, on Friday.
It is ironic that Uttar Pradesh too is striving to realise its full potential in red ball cricket after an underwhelming performance in the Ranji Trophy in the last couple of seasons.
Uttar Pradesh with Indian stars Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, the latest IPL sensation Sameer Rizvi along with seasoned cricketers Ankit Rajpoot and Saurabh Kumar will be a tough opponent for the host.
Kerala coach Venkataramana refused to be intimidated by UP’s star cast and said his team has enough firepower and ability to take on the might of its rival. “If I look at the strength and ability of my team, I do believe we have the potential and the skills to do well,” he said.
“In Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby and Rohan Prem we have experienced batters. Our bowlers are good, and the focus will be on winning the sessions. If we can do that consistently, we can beat anyone. It is important for us to begin the campaign on a positive note,’‘ he said.
The UP camp is aware of Kerala’s capability and expects a tough fight from the host. “Kerala is a good side, and we expect them to come at us hard. But we are well-prepared to deal with any situation,“ said UP captain Aryan Juyal.
The teams: Kerala: Sanju Vishwanadh Samson (captain), Rohan S. Kunnummal, Krishna Prasad, Anand Krishnan, Rohan Prem, Sachin Baby, Vishnu Vinod, Akshay Chandran, Shreyas Gopal, Jalaj Saxena, Vaishak Chandran, Basil Thampi, Vishweshwar A. Suresh, M.D. Nidheesh, N.P. Basil and Vishnu Raj.
Uttar Pradesh: Aryan Juyal (captain), Madhav Kaushik, Samarth Singh, Karan Sharma, Prince Yadav, Rinku Singh, Sameer Rizvi, Dhruv Jurel, Akshdeep Nath, Priyam Garg, Yash Dayal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi and Saurabh Kumar.
