Ranji Trophy: Kerala eye fresh start as they open against Jharkhand
toi
newspoint|11-10-2026
Twenty years ago, Keenan Stadium watched MS Dhoni do something he rarely did: Open the innings in an ODI. Alongside Virender Sehwag, he tore into England’s attack and blazed his way to 96. International cricket never returned to Jamshedpur ever since. Ranchi, Dhoni’s hometown, took the spotlight, and the steel-town bastion of Jharkhand cricket went quiet.
On Sunday, Keenan Stadium will be back in focus. As Ranchi was busy staging the India-West Indies T20I two days ago, Jamshedpur bagged the rights to host Kerala’s Ranji Trophy season opener against Jharkhand.
Kerala begin the season under a new captain, Vishnu Vinod , and a new coach, former Goa batter Swapnil Asnodkar .
“New season, new start,” says Kerala mentor Prashant Padmanabhan. “A solid coach, and a captain who showed his leadership chops in the final Ranji game against Goa last season,” he told TOI. “The pitch looks dry and may assist turn on Days 3 and 4, which is where Kerala’s experience comes in. We are banking on our two veterans, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate .”
KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar, though, wants the youngsters to share the load. He points to offspinner Vaisakh Chandran , who bowled exceptionally in the pre-season warm-up game in Hyderabad, taking 11 wickets.
Interestingly, Vaisakh made a sensational Ranji debut against Jharkhand in 2022-23, taking five wickets in the second innings at Ranchi to help Kerala win.
What followed was far from ideal. The Thiruvananthapuram native was weighed down by family worries after his father fell ill. A few IPL franchises had noticed him, and he went for trials two seasons ago. Then came a shoulder injury, his form tapered off, and he missed the last season.
“He seems to have found his mojo. On red-soil wickets, he will be a handful,” says Biju George, who coached him for nearly eight years.
The 30-year-old has spent the past seven months in a lengthy rehab and used the time to fine-tune his action under Biju. “There were some issues in my bowling that Biju sir noticed. In the run-up to this season, he tweaked my bowling action, which has helped me,” he said. “This season gives me the perfect opportunity to showcase my form and skill."
The spotlight will fall on Jalaj and Sarwate, as it usually does. But if the Keenan surface starts gripping, Vaisakh, back against the team that kickstarted his first-class career, could become Kerala’s X-factor.
The spotlight will fall on Jalaj and Sarwate, as it usually does. But if the Keenan surface starts gripping, Vaisakh, back against the team that kickstarted his first-class career, could become Kerala’s X-factor.
On Sunday, Keenan Stadium will be back in focus. As Ranchi was busy staging the India-West Indies T20I two days ago, Jamshedpur bagged the rights to host Kerala’s Ranji Trophy season opener against Jharkhand.
Kerala begin the season under a new captain, Vishnu Vinod , and a new coach, former Goa batter Swapnil Asnodkar .
“New season, new start,” says Kerala mentor Prashant Padmanabhan. “A solid coach, and a captain who showed his leadership chops in the final Ranji game against Goa last season,” he told TOI. “The pitch looks dry and may assist turn on Days 3 and 4, which is where Kerala’s experience comes in. We are banking on our two veterans, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate .”
KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar, though, wants the youngsters to share the load. He points to offspinner Vaisakh Chandran , who bowled exceptionally in the pre-season warm-up game in Hyderabad, taking 11 wickets.
Interestingly, Vaisakh made a sensational Ranji debut against Jharkhand in 2022-23, taking five wickets in the second innings at Ranchi to help Kerala win.
What followed was far from ideal. The Thiruvananthapuram native was weighed down by family worries after his father fell ill. A few IPL franchises had noticed him, and he went for trials two seasons ago. Then came a shoulder injury, his form tapered off, and he missed the last season.
“He seems to have found his mojo. On red-soil wickets, he will be a handful,” says Biju George, who coached him for nearly eight years.
The 30-year-old has spent the past seven months in a lengthy rehab and used the time to fine-tune his action under Biju. “There were some issues in my bowling that Biju sir noticed. In the run-up to this season, he tweaked my bowling action, which has helped me,” he said. “This season gives me the perfect opportunity to showcase my form and skill."
The spotlight will fall on Jalaj and Sarwate, as it usually does. But if the Keenan surface starts gripping, Vaisakh, back against the team that kickstarted his first-class career, could become Kerala’s X-factor.
The spotlight will fall on Jalaj and Sarwate, as it usually does. But if the Keenan surface starts gripping, Vaisakh, back against the team that kickstarted his first-class career, could become Kerala’s X-factor.
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