For the last two seasons, Basil Thampi had a long forlorn look on his face. It was as though he was searching for someone, perhaps his long-time bowling partner Sandeep Warrier.
Thampi and Warrier had formed one of the most potent new-ball pairs in domestic cricket for some time. Thampi became half the bowler he was after Warrier left for Tamil Nadu to further his career.
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As leader of the attack, Thampi struggled and failed to create an impact with the new ball for Kerala.
However, this season saw an energetic Thampi bowling with fine rhythm and giving Kerala early breakthroughs on some flat wickets. The fast-medium bowler finished as the second-highest wicket-taker for Kerala this season, with 24 wickets at an average of 24.20.
Thampi’s late burst gave Kerala a win against Bengal and, against Andhra, his incisive spell with the old ball after tea nearly brought his team a victory.
Thampi bowled long spells, which showed improved fitness levels, and came down hard at the batters. This was one of the most productive seasons for Thampi, who took 14 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and 11 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He had rediscovered his mojo and was enjoying bowling again.
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“Yes, I enjoyed bowling with Sandeep Warrier. We complemented each other and his absence did affect me initially and I struggled. The key to success this season has been my improved fitness. During the off-season, I spent three months at the MRF Pace Academy and worked with coach Senthilnathan. The focus was on increasing my strength. I also changed the release point of my delivery. Earlier, it was more of a side-arm but now I am bowling a lot straighter and it is giving me results,’’ he said.
“Overall, I am happy with my performance. I found my rhythm after the first match against Uttar Pradesh and took a fifer against Assam. I bowled mostly when the wicket had eased out and was favouring the batters. I rate my spell against Mumbai as the best. I took two wickets in the opening over, including that of Ajinkya Rahane, and it gave me a lot of satisfaction. I must also thank M.D. Nidheesh, N.P. Basil and Akhin Sathar for keeping up the pressure from the other end this season. As a team we played well towards the end of the tournament. Luck wasn’t with us. If we had won the toss in Patna and Raipur, the outcome would have been different,’’ he concluded.
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