Vaisakh Chandran
Alongside Virender Sehwag, he tore into England’s attack and blazed his way to 96. “The pitch looks dry and may assist turn on Days 3 and 4, which is where Kerala’s experience comes in. He points to offspinner Vaisakh Chandran, who bowled exceptionally in the pre-season warm-up game in Hyderabad, taking 11 wickets. Interestingly, Vaisakh made a sensational Ranji debut against Jharkhand in 2022-23, taking five wickets in the second innings at Ranchi to help Kerala win. The 30-year-old has spent the past seven months in a lengthy rehab and used the time to fine-tune his action under Biju. Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
“New season, new start,” says Kerala mentor Prashant Padmanabhan. “A solid coach, and a captain who showed his leadership chops in the final Ranji game against Goa last season,” he told TOI. On red-soil wickets, he will be a handful,” says Biju George, who coached him for nearly eight years. In the run-up to this season, he tweaked my bowling action, which has helped me,” he said.
Twenty years ago, Keenan Stadium watched MS Dhoni do something he rarely did: Open the innings in an ODI. International cricket never returned to Jamshedpur ever since. Ranchi, Dhoni’s hometown, took the spotlight, and the steel-town bastion of Jharkhand cricket went quiet. As Ranchi was busy staging the India-West Indies T20I two days ago, Jamshedpur bagged the rights to host Kerala’s Ranji Trophy season opener against Jharkhand. Kerala begin the season under a new captain, Vishnu Vinod , and a new coach, former Goa batter Swapnil Asnodkar . We are banking on our two veterans, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate . KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar, though, wants the youngsters to share the load. What followed was far from ideal. The Thiruvananthapuram native was weighed down by family worries after his father fell ill. A few IPL franchises had noticed him, and he went for trials two seasons ago. Then came a shoulder injury, his form tapered off, and he missed the last season. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines “He seems to have found his mojo. “There were some issues in my bowling that Biju sir noticed. “This season gives me the perfect opportunity to showcase my form and skill. The spotlight will fall on Jalaj and Sarwate, as it usually does. But if the Keenan surface starts gripping, Vaisakh, back against the team that kickstarted his first-class career, could become Kerala’s X-factor. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
On Sunday, Keenan Stadium will be back in focus.