Watch out for this Blasters fan with a handycam when Kerala play Santosh Trophy

Kerala's Santosh Trophy preparations rely heavily on a nerdy young man in glasses who is the least likely to enter the field of play or appear on television when the matches are streamed. He is Kiran K Narayanan, the video analyst.

Even though an analyst's skillsets are highly valued at club football level, it was regarded as nonessential in teams rolled out by state associations. But unlike in any of Kerala's previous campaigns in the Santosh Trophy, there is a major role for the video analyst in the current staff led by head coach Shafeeq Hassan. 

Kiran's duties involve analysing game footage, both in relation to the home team and the opposition, identifying patterns in play, making presentations and so on. It is not a glamorous role but one that makes the guys in the middle perform better.

"My job is to get all the information the coach requires," said Kiran. He worked with Hassan at Kannur Warriors; together they won the Super League Kerala title recently.
"Having a coach who appreciates video analysis is very important. As I worked with the coach at Kannur Warriors, I know his requirements and that makes the job easier."

The job
Imagine a videographer at a wedding reception. He or she would shoot everything that is aesthetically pleasing. The focus, however, would be on the couple. But for the video analyst, every participant is the main character.

Kiran is required to film entire training sessions on a handycam and provide specific content for analysis.

"I filter out the relevant videos; some might be in relation to the team and some would be individual-specific. For example, if a player's key attribute is his speed, I'll mark out the relevant videos, showing how he runs, which foot he uses and when and so on."

But the preparations are not limited to the home team. Kiran watched every qualifying round matches of the oppositions to mark out specific areas, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

There are 12 teams in the final round of the Santosh Trophy, starting January 22. Kerala are in Group B alongside Railways, Services, Punjab, Meghalaya and Odisha. Group A is made up of champions West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and hosts Assam.

Kiran says he watched at least three qualifiers of all opponents. "I could collect the videos of all teams but one, and then based on the specific information the coach seeks, I'll filter out the relevant content and make it available for analysis.

"There are softwares that help us to mark out the details so that our players can readily follow. From the qualifiers, we have a fair idea of the playing XIs of our opposition."

Fan to analyst
The 27-year-old from Kottayi in Palakkad is a fan of ISL side Kerala Blasters, and claims to have followed the team passionately over the years, even travelling for away matches to cheer them on.

After graduating as an engineer, Kiran worked for a few online tuition apps. In between, he joined for MTech but lost interest.
"Then I learnt of this profession as a video analyst, and because I am a football fan, I was quite excited about the opportunity," Kiran said.

"I did the relevant courses, related to performance analysis, data analysis and so on. Those were not available in India, the courses are based out of the UK or Spain."

Kiran began with former Indian Women's League (IWL) champions Sethu FC before joining Kannur Warriors. "Video analysts are essential at clubs abroad. In India, it is still a growing career." Kiran has only been on the job for two years.

If Kerala win the prestigious title again this season, of course, the players would be, and should be celebrated, and certainly the coaches. But do watch out for the guy with the handycam, who played his part.