A last-wicket partnership, a ball bouncing off a helmet, and unbelievable drama – Kerala’s journey to the final was like a fairytale.
February 24, 2025 – Cricket is a game of fine margins, and Kerala’s journey to their first-ever Ranji Trophy final proved just that. From a tense last-wicket partnership to a once-in-a-lifetime deflection off a helmet, their path was filled with high-pressure moments, grit, and unexpected twists.
Source: Kerala Cricket Association
After their big semi-final win against Gujarat, the Kerala players were still enjoying the moment.Sachin Baby, the captain, had waited 99 matches for this day. Now, as he prepared for his 100th match in the Ranji Trophy final, he thought about Kerala’s amazing journey.
A Last-Wicket Stand to Remember
“Come on, Basil. Be our Jason Gillespie.”
Kerala’s head coach, Amay Khurasiya, had one final message before the team stepped onto the field on the third morning of their quarter-final against Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). At 200 for 9, Kerala were 80 runs behind, staring at an early exit. Their only hope was the last-wicket pair of Salman Nizar and Basil Thampi.
A night before, Khurasiya had shown them a motivational video of the legendary Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath’s 114-run last-wicket stand for Australia in 2004. The message was simple: fight for every run, never give up.
Sachin Baby, the captain, chuckled at the thought. A lead seemed impossible. His target for the team had been simple—narrow the gap as much as possible. But something changed in that meeting.
On the field the next day, Nizar and Thampi fought like warriors. They stitched together an 81-run stand, turning an inevitable loss into a stunning comeback.
Kerala secured a lead of one run. Just one run—but it was enough to push them into the semi-finals for only the second time in history.
As Thampi walked back to the dressing room, he grinned and told his coach, “Coach, I did it.”
The Semi-Final – A Game of Inches
Fast forward to the semi-final against Gujarat. It was the fifth day, and the match hung in balance. Gujarat needed 28 runs with three wickets in hand to take the crucial first-innings lead, which would send them to the final.
Sachin Baby had dropped a sitter early in the day. His mind raced. “What have you done, Sachin?” The thought haunted him. After nearly 100 first-class games, was his dream slipping away?
But cricket had its own way of balancing fortunes. Just two balls later, Gujarat’s key batter Jaymeet Patel was stumped. Kerala was back in the game.
Moments later, a controversial decision added to the drama. Gujarat’s Siddharth Desai was given out caught at silly point, but replays showed no edge. Kerala’s joy turned into despair.
Then, out of nowhere, the umpire checked ball-tracking. Three reds. Instead of being caught out, Desai was now out lbw!
Still, Gujarat wasn’t finished. With just two runs needed to take the lead, the unthinkable happened.
A Helmet, A Deflection, and A Historic Victory
With Gujarat’s last wicket at the crease, Aditya Sarwate bowled a flighted delivery. Arzan Nagwaswalla swung hard, but the ball took the inside edge.
Standing at short leg, Salman Nizar had barely a second to react. The ball smashed into his helmet, popped up in the air, and landed into Sachin Baby’s hands at slip.
For a second, nobody moved. Even Baby hesitated. “Is this out?” he thought.
Then he saw his teammates celebrating wildly, and he joined them.
Kerala had done it. They were through to the Ranji Trophy final.
The KCA later announced that Nizar’s helmet, which had accidentally helped Kerala win, would be preserved at their headquarters, alongside a replica of the Ranji Trophy.
The Final Beckons – “Do It for Kerala”
As Kerala celebrated, a message from Sanju Samson popped up on Sachin Baby’s phone.
“Babychan, let’s do it for Kerala.”
Samson, recovering from a finger surgery, was unable to play. Despite past friction with the Kerala Cricket Association, he put everything aside to cheer for the team.
The support extended beyond him. Former players like Raiphi Gomez, VA Jagadeesh, S Sreesanth, Rohan Prem, and Tinu Yohannan were all behind this team.
Ironically, some of them had once revolted against Baby’s captaincy in 2018-19. But now, past differences were forgotten. Kerala cricket had one goal—the Ranji Trophy.
The Unsung Heroes – Sarwate and Saxena
Amidst the celebrations, there was another emotional story.
Aditya Sarwate, the hero of the semi-final, was playing against his former team, Vidarbha, in the final. After being dropped from their squad, he found a new home in Kerala.
Captain Sachin Baby had told him weeks earlier:
“Imagine playing against Vidarbha in the final. Take a five-for and show them they missed you.”
Sarwate had delivered under pressure, alongside Jalaj Saxena, who was 38 years old yet fit enough to bowl 70 overs in an innings.
With 68 wickets between them this season, these two had been Kerala’s backbone.
A Culture of Discipline and Fitness
What had changed in Kerala cricket?
It wasn’t just talent. It was a change in mindset.
Sachin Baby had made it clear to coach Amay Khurasiya before the season started:
“We need two things – discipline and lower-order batting.”
The team had delivered on both.
Now, the talk in the Kerala camp wasn’t about one more game. It was about two more games—the Ranji final and the Irani Cup.
With this winning mindset, Kerala was ready to create history.
The Grand Finale
As Sachin Baby prepares for his 100th first-class match, he knows this is the biggest moment of his career. Kerala has already defied the odds. Now, just one more step separates them from their first-ever Ranji Trophy title.
The stage is set. The dream is alive. Will Kerala script history?
Time will tell.
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