Kerala batter Sachin Baby borrows Rohan Bopanna’s success mantra: ‘I’m not 35 years old, I’m level 35’

Kerala cricketer Sachin Baby has been on a roll over the last few years. After two Ranji Trophy seasons of more than 800 runs, he has now captained his team, Aries Kollam Sailors, to the title in the inaugural edition of Kerala Cricket League, the T20 franchise cricket tournament launched by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA).

Sachin, 35, the ageing but tireless warrior of Kerala cricket, took the orange cap for the leading run-getter in the KCL, with 528 runs from 12 matches. He was also the architect of the Kollam team’s win in the final. Chasing a stiff target of 214 against Calicut Globstars in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, he took his team to a six-wicket win with an unbeaten 105 off 54 balls, his second century in the tournament.

The Kollam Sailors were, without a doubt, the best team on show in the KCL. They won eight of the ten round-robin group stage matches to top the points table. Sachin credits former India fast bowler S Sreesanth, the franchise’s mentor and co-owner, for creating cordial atmosphere that helped players perform to the best of their abilities.

Talking To Indianexpress.com, Sachin said, “We created a brotherhood in the team, and our mentor, Sreesanth, deserves much credit. He had been with the team from the start of the tournament and kept egging the players to do well when they seemed to lack confidence.”

“Also, we ensured that every player was given a chance once we were assured of qualification (to the semifinals). That way, no one would feel left out. This being the first edition of the KCL, it would have been a big incentive for several players to play a game being televised so their family and friends could watch them play,” said Sachin.

Sachin Baby receives the KCL trophy from actor Mohanlal in the presence of Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman. (Kerala Cricket Association)

Sachin believes the Duleep Trophy snub this year was, in a way, a blessing in disguise for him. “I played in the Duleep Trophy last year. The KCL is a tournament I wanted to be a part of. I was made the captain of the Kollam team with many expectations and did not want to leave the team mid-way for anything else. So, I had no complaints when I was not picked for any of the four Duleep Trophy teams despite scoring heavily in the Ranji Trophy.”

Sachin, the second-highest run-getter for Kerala in first-class cricket with 5,231 runs and 14 centuries in 90 matches in a career spanning 15 years, easily switches between formats.

“In the early part of my career, people tagged me a white-ball player. Then, when I started scoring plenty of runs in the Ranji Trophy, they said I was a red-ball player. These are just perceptions, and I’m happy to prove them wrong each time I go out to bat,” said Sachin, who averages over 40 in both first-class and List-A games and strikes at 130 in T20 matches.

Though he is 35, Sachin thinks plenty of cricket is still left in him. “I remember an interaction with tennis legend Rohan Boppanna some time ago. He said that though he was 42, he considered that he was ‘level 42’ in tennis. Like that, I believe I’m ‘level 35’ in cricket. I’m only going to level up even if I get older. I want to prove that age is just a number, just like Bopanna,” said Sachin, looking forward to another fruitful domestic season.

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The Kerala Cricket League featured six teams from six cities: Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kollam, Alappuzha, Kochi, Thrissur, and Kozhikode Calicut). After two rounds of round-robin games, Kollam Sailors beat Thrissur Titans in one semifinal, while Calicut Globstars beat Trivandrum Royals in the other. All the matches were played at Greenfield International Stadium in the state capital.

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