Kottayam: Twenty-five years have passed since Kottayam last played host to Ranji Trophy, the country's premier domestic event. The four-day South Zone League encounter, in which Kerala took on Hyderabad, was held between December 11-14, 1993.
It was a match of many firsts and unique feats. The new turf wicket facility at the Nehru Stadium in Nagampadam hosted its first ‘official’ match, which was Kerala’s 160th game in Ranji Trophy.
The home side was led by K N Ananthapadmanabhan, or Ananthan, as he is fondly called, while India international Arshad Ayub was the captain of Hyderabad. One man was conspicuous by his absence in the visiting team – Mohammad Azharuddin – who was supposed to lead them. Arshad was handed the captaincy due to Azhar’s non-availability.
The youngster who came in as a replacement for Azharuddin went on to become one of the most accomplished cricketers in India. It was none other than VVS Laxman, who won many a match for the country with his silken grace and wristy elegance. Hyderabad also had another international player in their ranks, the spin wizard Venkatapathy Raju. The key members of the Kerala side were Sunil Oasis, Feroze V Rasheed, and V Narayanan Kutty.
It was a forgettable outing for Kerala as they failed to withstand Hyderabad’s bowling attack featuring some top quality spinners. Electing to bat, the visiting side scored 176 in their first innings before bowling out Kerala for a paltry 65 runs. Sunil Oasis (16 not out) and M A Sathish (14) were the only Kerala batsmen who reached double digits. Interestingly, extras (13) too managed to cross double figures in that innings! For the visitors, Raju and Ayub pocketed five wickets each.
Hyderabad declared their second innings on 268-9, propelled by a brilliant 124 by M V Sridhar. Kerala came up with a better show in their second essay, thanks to a valiant effort by lower-order batsmen. However, they sank to defeat by 169 runs with a day to spare. The wrecker-in chief was Raju who once again picked up a fiver. Laxman failed to impress in both innings, scoring 21 and 3 respectively.
Kottayam was witness to some milestone moments during the course of the match. Kerala skipper Ananthapadmanabhan claimed his 100th Ranji wicket to become the third Keralite to achieve that feat after Paliath Ravi Achan and Vedam Hariharan. Arshad Ayub’s five for 28 in Kerala’s first innings included a hat-trick as he dismissed P G Sunder, B Ramprakash and Feroze Rasheed off consecutive deliveries.
Before that, the Nehru stadium had hosted two Ranji trophy matches. They were between Kerala and Mysore in 1972 and Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in 1988.
