A few hours after being dismissed for a well-made 83 against Uttar Pradesh in the fourth round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Kerala skipper Sachin Baby got a call from his former team manager Saji N.
“Saji Sir told me I could have scored a hundred and that if I had done so, I could have broken the record for most runs for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy,” said Sachin, on the sidelines of the fifth-round match against Haryana in Rohtak.
But, the prospect of a potential record slipped through Sachin’s mind until he was back in the middle with the bat, this time in the first innings against Haryana.
As he went past 15 on the way to his 27th First-Class fifty, he broke Rohan Prem’s record of most runs for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. He also became the state’s top-scorer in all three formats.
The 35-year-old sees this as a culmination of a journey he started as an under-13 cricketer, who didn’t know of the existence of a competition called Ranji Trophy.
“When I started, I didn’t know anything about the senior team or the Ranji Trophy, as I didn’t have much exposure. I learned about it only when I got to the district Under-17 team. That was when my dream to play in the Ranji trophy was formed.
My debut Ranji match was in Thalassery. [S] Sreesanth was the captain then. I have looked at my journey ever since then, wondering how I managed to do all this. It came with a lot of hard work, dedication and sleepless nights,” said Sachin.
FILE PHOTO: Rohan Prem (left) and Sachin Baby (right) in action during a Ranji Trophy match against Tripura at Perinthalmanna in 2015. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU
The record is of further significance for Sachin, considering that he had modelled his game after Rohan, who was his batting partner for the state over many domestic campaigns.
“As a left-handed batsman, I always used to look up to Rohan Prem. I learned a lot of things playing along with him. I am delighted to beat the record, having started out with him in my early days,” says Sachin.
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Over the last three seasons, Sachin has been one of the most consistent batters in the Indian domestic red-ball circuit, tallying 1660 runs in 25 innings at a staggering average of 74.61. He accumulated an exact 830 runs in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Ranji seasons, making him the only player to possess an 800+ tally in both these campaigns.
The left-handed batter believes this is a result of the continued trust he has laid in his hard-drilled technique while amplifying efforts to enhance his mental and physical steel.
“After scoring 800 each in the last two seasons, I am now tagged a red-ball cricketer. When I performed in the white ball in the past, I was called a white-ball cricketer. Initially, except for once, I could score only 300-400 a season. So, I wanted to prove to everyone and myself that I can be good in red-ball cricket also. I have worked hard for that. I trained with RH Murali Sir in Bangalore. I think what we see on the ground is just a reflection of all those efforts,” revealed Sachin.
The 2024-25 Ranji Trophy campaign has been a fruitful one for Kerala so far, with the side sitting second in the Elite Group C standings. In the fifth round, it claimed three points away from home against table-topper Haryana, multiplying knockout-stage qualification hopes.
A key element in Kerala’s success so far is how well its bowling has adapted to a variety of conditions. In the spin-friendly conditions back home, it squeezed wins against Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. On a green top in Rohtak, its pacers delivered the goods, bundling Haryana out for just 164 to seal the first-innings lead.
Sachin is a captain brimming with pride as he credits his bowling attack as one of the most balanced in Indian domestic cricket.
“We have got a great balance of pacers and spinners. Last year, we just had Jalaj [Saxena]. But this year, we had B Aparajith and [Aditya] Sarwate to support him. No other team has a balanced unit like ours at the moment. Bengal and Karnataka have a good number of fast bowlers. But, they don’t have many spinners. We are blessed in that regard,” shared a beaming Sachin.
Sachin also credited the welcoming nature of his side, which has allowed the likes of Sarwate and Aparajith to settle in quickly and contribute to the team’s quick start to the campaign.
“The Kerala players are very welcoming. And that makes it easier for me [as a captain]. The guest players actually take away the opportunity of one domestic player. But they keep no dislike against them. This game demands a sense of unity and we are lucky to have an abundance of it,” said Sachin.
Prior to the start of the Ranji season, the southern state witnessed the successful organisation of the inaugural season of its domestic T20 championship, the Kerala Cricket League. Incidentally, it was won by Aries Kollam Sailors, led by Sachin, who also topped the run-scoring chart with 528 runs, including a century in the final.
The Kerala skipper believes the KCL will play a huge role in helping his players land deals in the upcoming Indian Premier League player auctions.
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“Absolutely. The whole world watched KCL. Take the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) as a comparison. Not everyone gets a chance to play in it. And even when they play, they may not get noticed as only one out of four pools will be shown live. But in KCL, our matches were watched for over a month by the viewers. This will be a lot of help for the players, particularly with IPL scouts.”
Sachin was also candid in admitting the emotional impact of the IPL auction, particularly for the players involved in the upcoming SMAT.
Aries Kollam Sailors skipper Sachin Baby topped the run-scoring chart with 528 runs, including a century in the final, in Kerala Cricket League’s inaugural season this year. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN / THE HINDU
“Yes, it’s not something that you can’t lie about. Everybody will be thinking about that auction. The auction falls on the (November) 24th and 25th and we have a [SMAT] match on the 23rd. Even when we are playing, we’ll be thinking about the auction outcomes at the back of the mind. It’s a very challenging situation emotionally.”
As someone who has experienced the highs and lows inherent with an IPL auction, Sachin is also doing his bit to help his teammates cope with the associated stress.
“Last year, the auction happened during the Ranji trophy. Several players were affected when they failed to get in. I talked to them and made them understand that it’s not something that we can control and if it’s meant to be, it will happen,” added Sachin.
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