Kerala started the third day at 200/9, 80 behind Jammu and Kashmir’s first innings score. Salman Nizar, coming in at No.6 , was batting on 49 with only No.11 Basil Thampi for company. But they pulled a rabbit out the hat, as the last-wicket partnership took Kerala to 281, giving them a cheeky 1-run lead, and 1000 watts worth of confidence.
Despite Nizar’s ton (112 not out), the match is still wide open, with J&K batting on 180/3 in their second innings. But having had Kerala under the pump at one stage, they knew they had let an opportunity go by. Nizar, nicknamed ‘Bakki’, and Thampi barely gave them a chance though, such was the positivity and freedom in their batting in the moving day’s morning session.
Salman comes from Thalassery – that Keralites call the second mecca of cricket, because Colin Cowdrey’s father came down from the Nilgiris to play a spot of cricket there in the 1930s and the game set roots. Besides cricket, the city is also known as the birthplace of India’s grandest circuses – Jumbo, Gemini, Great Bombay, Rajkamal and Amar.
But just like Killeri Kunjikannan, the father of modern Indian circus who brought acrobatics into limelight in India, Nizar did Thalassery proud with his elastic strokemaking, digging out yorkers and redirecting them when imbalanced, and throwing himself at the ball almost for a completely gymnastic innings, comprising 12 boundaries and four sixes.
J&K has some serious pacers and probing spinners. But Nizar heeded to neither, his shots coming square of the wicket including an audacious six over covers. He had been the junior partner in four previous partnerships, but with Thampi assuring him he’d linger, and taking inspiration from Jalaj Saxena’s momentum-changing inning of 67, Bakki contributed 63 (97) to the 10th wicket partnership of 81 (132 balls). The No.11 made 15 off 35.
Besides cricket, circus and cakes, Thalassery is known for its famous biryani, flavoured with cardamom and cloves. But what packs in the punch is the underrated short-grained ‘Khaima’ rice. Nizar is a pocket-sized dynamite too. “I love cricket, I find happiness in teammates playing in the IPL,” he says, not wanting to complain on the big day about the disproportionate efforts and rewards of two formats.
His belief comes from coach Amey Khurasiya. “The coach gave me strong belief and said we can do miracles if we believe,” he says. The method came from Saxena. “I thought if he can play shots, we can too. That’s the way to play. Positive. He said if the ball is short from spinners, go for shots for you can clear the boundary easily. And to avoid the drive.”
Complete team man
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Nizar knew Thampi had scored a 50 at Lahli, and trusted him to hold his own. He had missed a century earlier in the Ranji season, batting at No.8, when the team declared their first innings at 356/9 with him batting on 95 off 262 balls. The Bengali press pack at Jadavpur University would’ve praised a probable rearguard century. Opening-round headlines would’ve been glowing. It would’ve ended an eight-year wait for the three-figure milestone. But it was not to be back in October.
Salman, who debuted a decade ago in first-class cricket but has played fewer than 30 matches for Kerala, however, walked away calmly when the captain declared that day. “8-9 years, no century,” he recalls. But ask him about ‘that declaration’ and he wastes not a second in declaring, “It was a team decision to declare (after 120 overs), and I truly agreed. Ranji cricket is not about personal milestones. It was good for the team,” he says.
It’s a peek into ‘Selfless Salman’ – the quintessential Kerala team man, the likes of whom the team has been relying on this inspiring season. He would go on to get his first century in nine seasons of plodding against Bihar. It was a 150, rescuing Kerala from 81/4 and giving them a priceless outright win.
At the MCA Stadium on Monday morning, the 27-year-old got the entire team to rise and applaud a century that gave Kerala cricket itself the sort of self-assurance that deflates opponents.
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“I had a few 40-50s that were good for the team. But I wasn’t happy I wasn’t converting. This season I got both,” Nizar says.
Born into a religiously strict family, he followed his brother into cricket and refused to give up the game and follow him to Dubai when runs went fallow. “I was at the Kochi academy for 9 years,” he recalls.
When J&K were reduced to 78/3, thanks to MD Nidheesh and Nedumankuzhy Basil, Kerala seemed to have things going their way. But that’s when skipper Paras Dogra (73 batting) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (42 batting) came to their team’s rescue with an unbroken 102-run partnership that took J&K’s lead to 179.
With two days left in the quarterfinal, both teams will fancy their chances, but Nizar has assured that it will be Kerala who would be left smiling even if there’s no outright result from this game. A Ranji Trophy semifinal is a rare achievement for the state.
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Brief scores from Jammu and Kashmir vs Kerala
Jammu and Kashmir 280 & 180/3 (Paras Dogra 73 batting) lead Kerala 281 (Salman Nizar 112 not out, Jalaj Saxena 67; Auqib Nabi 6/53) by 179 runs
