Kerala is God's own country. This tiny state on the south-west coast of India is better known for its pristine beaches, crystal clear backwaters, coconut lagoons and the never failing south west monsoon that pours down in the month of June and July. Kerala has over the years taken long strides for a small state achieving 100% literacy rate and the people are generally very conscious about their civil rights.

Kerala has always been a sport loving state and football has been the most favoured sport. In the mid-eighties when television became popular all through the state, cricket broke loose from the clutches of an elite few to the common man. Though the state can always take pride in the fact that it gave the nation such outstanding sportspersons like PT Usha, Shiny Abraham, IM Vijayan and many more, Kerala has always been the minnows of Indian cricket; never threatening to run through sides or pile up runs to take the crucial 'first innings lead', that eventually matters most.

As the old adage in Malayalam, "Pala thulli peru vellam", which means "many a drop of water maketh the sea", Kerala cricket has been growing little by little. From the days of Balan Pandit to KN Ananthapadmanabhan, Kerala cricket has made steady progress. In the year 1995 Kerala qualified to the Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time. And followed it up in the next season by emerging as South Zone champions.

The 2000-2001 season has not been bad for Kerala cricket by any stretch of imagination. Kerala Ranji captain KN Ananthapadmanabhan says, " I don't find any reason to feel disappointed about our perfomance this season. We have the unenviable task of playing in a zone having three of the best teams in India, Hyderabad, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. We had a successful outing this season, beating Karnataka by ten wickets, holding Tamil Nadu to a draw and losing out to Hyderabad. The present state of Kerala cricket holds out immense promise for the future."

Ananthan is possibly the best-known cricket face in Kerala, carrying the mantle of shaping the minnows into a respectable bunch of players. He is a remarkable individual who has fought his way up to the pinnacle of Kerala cricket by picking 241 Ranji Trophy wickets at an average of 27.09 with best figures of 8-57. He is easily one of the premier leg spinners in the country, who has been overlooked by the national selectors time and again. Ananthan does feel sad that he has not been considered a national probable, when Hirwani gets a recall to replace an injured Anil Kumble.

Born in Valiyashala near Thiruvananthapuram, Ananthan did not carry a family heritage of playing cricket. As any kid in the neighbourhood, he picked up the bat and ball and did almost everything except bowling his present trade, leg spin. "It is very difficult to have control of your line and length if you are a leg spinner, it is a tough job", says Ananthan, who made his Ranji debut in the season 1988/89.

Ananthan's cricket career got a late start at the age of 19, which meant he missed out on junior cricket. " I never had the kind of support while I was in school and in my younger days. As is the case with kids, I had to pay more attention to my studies at class ten, which is a main hurdle. My parents saw to it that I did well in my studies and was not allowed to play cricket. Only when I got to college I had the necessary freedom to spend time on cricket and hence I am here".

Ananthan is happy about the present crop of junior talent in the state. "Tinu Yohannan, Fazil Mohammed and Prashant Menon were amongst the fast bowlers to be selected to the NCA (National Cricket Academy). Tinu is with the MRF Pace Foundation, Sreekumar Nair was in the India U19s World Cup team, all these means a lot for the future of Kerala cricket."

The Kerala captain is unhappy that the KCA (Kerala Cricket Association) does not have a cricket ground of its own and hence not the ideal kind of facilities. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kochi is owned by the GCDA (Greater Cochin Development Authority), in spite of which, this season Kerala played its Ranji Trophy matches at that venue. It helped the team adjust to the demands of the conditions and Ananthan prefers such a scheme than travelling all over Kerala, from Thalaserry to Thiruvanathapuram.

Ananthan is quick to add it was not just the lack of facilities that drives all the good Kerala players to Chennai, but the fact that no corporates are coming forward to employ young cricketers. " I have to be very frank, when I got through my university education as any young man, I wanted to have some security about my future. In Kerala, only State Bank of Travancore and Reserve Bank of India provide jobs and finding a job in Kerala is a difficult thing given the recruitment patterns. So I had to move to Chennai looking for a job. I was with State Bank of India for a year, then moved on to Chemplast and was with them for two years, these days I am with the Indian Overseas Bank."

Ananthan clearly has some more years of cricket left in him. He still has hopes of playing for the country, which keeps him motivated. He clearly believes the game is being played for the entertainment of the public, be it one-dayers or first class and that players have to adjust to the demands of the game and deliver accordingly. Ananthan has this message to the young cricketers in Kerala, " KCA is doing its very best to improve the quality of cricket in Kerala. Rather than finding fault in the system and the administration, players should concentrate on their game, be consistent and enjoy their cricket."

© CricInfo