Kerala, in India’s deep south, may have produced dozens of India’s finest footballers, but as far as cricket goes, it has always been an afterthought. Though stalwarts such as Balan Pandit and KN Ananthapadmanabhan were well respected on the domestic circuit, it wasn’t until the new millennium that a player from the state represented India.
Tinu Yohannan, whose father won gold in the long jump in the 1974 Asian Games, dismissed Mark Butcher and Marcus Trescothick in both innings on his debut against England at Mohali in December 2001. In the other two Tests he played, he would take only one wicket.
Half a decade later, along came Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, with his Boney M hair and perfect outswing. In a checkered career that looks to have ended with the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal of 2013, Sreesanth took 87 Test wickets, and 75 in ODIs. Unlike Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, he has a World Cup winners’ medal.
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■ IPL 2017 talking points: Supergiant make super gaffe over MS Dhoni
■ Indian Premier League 2017: Five storylines to keep an eye on this season
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One of the few to get the best out of Sreesanth was Greg Chappell, who treated him much the same way you would a mischievous toddler. “Are you going to be good Sree or bad Sree today” he would ask the bowler before he went on to the field. When Sreesanth told him he would be good, Chappell would ask: “And what does good Sree do?”
“Good Sree bowls on the fourth or fifth stump and moves the ball away” would be the answer. With the help of what some would call this kindergarten approach, Sreesanth took eight for 99 and inspired a famous Indian win at the Wanderers against South Africa in 2006.
But such highs were few and far between for one with a volatile temperament, and by the time he was dropped from the squad in 2011, he had become one of its most unpopular members, the unwanted problem child.
When word got around last December that Sanju Samson was going down the same troubled path, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Samson played one Twenty20 international for India in Zimbabwe in 2015, as part of a second-string squad, after making a name for himself with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
But with Kerala in the Ranji Trophy, he was allegedly breaking bats in the dressing room and disappearing to sulk on his own. At one point, TC Mathew, the Kerala Cricket Association president who subsequently had to relinquish his post based on the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee, said: “That is where we tried our level best, but now he is unmanageable. We cannot manage him. Let the wise people take the call.”
Samson and his father, a former policeman who appears to have rubbed the administrators the wrong way, have always insisted that the events were blown out of proportion, even as they accepted that frustration had got the better of the young man after yet another mediocre first-class season.
At Delhi Daredevils, however, Samson seems to be in his element. Reunited with Rahul Dravid, team mentor, and Paddy Upton, the coach – the duo that guided him in his formative seasons in Rajasthan – Samson is once again in the news for the right reasons.
His century against Rising Pune Supergiant earlier this week was the first of the 2017 season, and will be hard to match. In the early stages, he timed the ball exquisitely through the gaps in the field. Later on, he combined powerful lofts over the rope, with impudent nudges and deflections. It was a beautifully paced innings that provided the security for Chris Morris to go berserk (38 off nine balls) at the end.
For all his undoubted talent, Samson has not topped even 350 runs in an IPL season. With spots up for grabs in India’s limited-overs squads, there is no time like the present to stitch together a consistent season. He has all the shots, but has yet to show that he can play them judiciously. With Dravid, who he clearly adores, in the dugout, this could be the season where he makes the big leap.
THINGS OT WATCH OUT FOR
■ The Kohli return
In an Instagram post where he executes a snatch, which has already been viewed nearly two million times, Virat Kohli announced that he would return to action on Friday against the Mumbai Indians. Ever since he injured his shoulder during the third Test against Australia in Ranchi, there has been considerable disquiet about the Indian captain’s fitness, especially with a Champions Trophy title defence also on the horizon.
But for now, his sole focus will be Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have made an indifferent start to the season. With Kohli and AB de Villiers restored to the top order, opposition sides should be forgiven a few palpitations.
■ Whither Dhoni?
Samson and Rishabh Pant, his Daredevils teammate who has also impressed this season, are both wicketkeeper-batsmen. They are at the forefront of a generation inspired by MS Dhoni.
But while the young hopefuls catch the eye, the original is finding this IPL a struggle. In three innings till now, Dhoni has faced 37 balls and made just 28. And after unflattering remarks from the team owner’s brother, Dhoni’s wife has been fighting back.
After posting a picture of herself in Chennai Super Kings kit – Dhoni led the side from 2008 until they were suspended in 2015 – she has also been giving her social-media followers lessons in karma.
“When a bird is alive, it eats ants. When the bird is dead, ants eat the bird,” said one post.
Right now, his fans are waiting for Dhoni, who looks a misfit in Pune colours, to take flight.
■ Even more fizz for Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the defending champions, are sitting pretty at the top of the table. David Warner, after his struggles in the Test arena, looks to be back in form, and Kane Williamson is throwing 180s on the dartboard.
But more importantly, the “Fizz” is back. Mustafizur Rahman took 17 wickets last season, while conceding less than seven an over, and his yorker to Andre Russell was one of the tournament highlights. After helping Bangladesh draw with Sri Lanka in every format, Mustafizur is now back in the Sunrisers fold.
Moises Henriques, who started the season with 52 and 52 not out, was the one to make way. What a great selection problem to have.
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