INTERVIEW
Follow UsMatthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Baba Aparajith.
What connects them? Of course, they are all on the move, as the transfer window is in its closing days ahead of the new season.
Earlier this week, Baba Aparajith made the painful decision to move away from Tamil Nadu, a state in which he made his debut at the age of 17, to seek greener pastures in Kerala.
However, until three months ago, he was still actively looking at playing cricket across three formats for Tamil Nadu before a call from M. Venkataramana, the then Kerala head coach, made him rethink his future in his boyhood state.
“I got a call from Ramana sir [Kerala’s former coach], he asked me if I was ready and open to move. He was the one who told me that Kerala were looking at a player like me, would you be interested? It was new to me, I wanted to take some time and thoroughly think through it. I was contemplating and still thinking about my future. I was interested but wanted to think about it,” Aparajith told Cricket.com over a call.
While moving away from a state that you have represented takes a lot of thought and thinking, Aparajith was convinced in a few days that he was about to make the ‘right decision’ of moving to Kerala. Everything about the project seemed like going in the right direction as far as seeking a right platform to challenge himself and prove his worth.
“Hardly a few days later, I called him back after thinking through and told him, ‘Yes, I’m open to moving.’ My idea was to have a new challenge and play all three formats, and Kerala was a good opportunity. I still have a lot of cricket left in me, and I want to do very well in a new setup,” Aparajith said, confirming his move to Kerala.
“I was actually open to moving. I know Ramana sir well, and I have heard a lot of good things about Kerala cricket. They are doing well, going to the next level and have a good setup. Also, Jalaj [Saxena] is there. I used to play cricket with him, so everyone had good opinions about the state. Shreyas Gopal, too, gave me good opinions. People who I already knew were part of the setup,” he added.
So, what’s the big deal about a player switching states?
Well, unless you are from Tamil Nadu, you won’t quite understand how big a deal it is for Aparajith, earmarked for greatness in the state, to move out of it. He's not only twin to Tamil Nadu's most consistent batter, Indrajith, but his dad, RN Baba, is a key figure in the Tamil Nadu cricket circuit.
Over the last 13 years, Aparajith has made a name for himself with almost 4,571 runs at the first-class level, 3,869 runs at the List A level, and 1,147 runs at the T20 level. While success has evaded him and Tamil Nadu in the red-ball format throughout his time in the state, Aparajith was an integral member of Tamil Nadu’s rise in stature in the white-ball cricket.
“For Tamil Nadu, there are a lot of memories that come to my mind. We have won a lot of white-ball trophies. From Bala [Balaji] Anna, under whom I made my debut in 2011, to many senior figures and captains until now, I have played with a very good setup. We have been able to make a lot of memories. Yes, we couldn’t win the Ranji Trophy, and hopefully, we are on the right track,” he reflected.
Asked about some of his iconic moments at Tamil Nadu, Aparajith didn’t blink before admitting that his first first-class hundred, which came in 2012 against arch-rivals Karnataka was special. Prior to that innings, Aparajith’s score across his last six appearances were 1*, 1, 44*, 6, 0, and 4*. It was that innings which actually kick-started his career.
“My first first-class hundred [vs Karnataka] was a very special one for me because the previous few games didn’t go as expected. I started as a 17-18-year-old, and that century at Chepauk was vital and special for me,” he recollected.
Aparajith was also involved in multiple white-ball victories for Tamil Nadu, winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017 and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophies in 2021 and 2022, which he cherishes to date.
“Winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy was also very special. Both are special,” he added.
For someone as iconic as him moving out of Tamil Nadu is great deal. How did he break the news to his family and did they oppose the decision?
“I discussed it with my family, everything ticked, and then I took that decision. I take my cricketing decisions, my dad doesn’t interfere. I spoke to both him and my brother and took the decision. My dad didn’t even question why. I was clear in my head about the decision,” he said.
Was it just the opportunities that enticed him away from Tamil Nadu?
“Definitely, not only for opportunities. I can contribute more, being a senior player, I can guide the youngsters as well. I want to be an all-rounder, on and off the field. As a leader, even off the field, I will take the team along. It is a young team and they are very talented. The team is on the rise and in the right kind of setup,” Aparajith shed light on what his role could be for Kerala.
“I’m ready to adapt myself to the team and play my game. The most important thing is performance, I will do anything for the team’s cause. I will back my strength and perform to it,” he stated.
But the underlying point about what fuels Aparajith is returning to top-level cricket and yet again getting the chance to rub shoulders with some of the biggest talents in Indian cricket at the ‘A’ level, where he has previously featured on five occasions, including as recently as November 2021, when he was picked for India's ‘A’ tour of South Africa.
Given that rain marred the series, Aparajith had as many as two chances to prove his worth, one of which was where he was unbeaten on 16 before rain had the final say in Bloemfontein.
“At that time [November 2021], COVID was just done, we had a long break and they picked a team. They were looking for a batter who could bowl and be in the top order. I didn’t get to bat a lot in that series, it was a very short stint. I tried to give my best. I never had regrets in my cricketing life, I was grateful for the opportunity,” he said.
While Aparajith might not have as much hope (only 30%) for Manchester United to lift the title after the new signings, his new beginning with Kerala might just be the ‘win-win situation’ for both parties.
Not only does he have a lot of cricket left in him, but his words clearly indicate a certain level of ‘motivation’ to make this move fruitful and to reignite both his own ambitions to play for India and that of Kerala’s to lift trophies across formats.
“From here on, I’m very confident that I’m not going to look at my age until I play cricket. I will give my 200%. I’m confident that I can make a comeback at any given level, whether it's red-ball, white-ball, India ‘A’, IPL, or anything else. I’m going to give my 200% and keep my hopes high until I play. It will all work out,” he concluded.
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