Patience the name of the game for Kerala’s Nizar and Azharuddeen as they guide team to Ranji semis after six years

Patience the name of the game for Kerala’s Nizar and Azharuddeen as they guide team to Ranji semis after six years

Kerala coach Amay Khurasiya walked up to Jalaj Saxena with a piece of paper that read, “110×3 = 330“ at a time when his team was 70 for 2, pursuing Jammu and Kashmir’s total of 399.

With nearly four sessions remaining and J&K fast bowlers leaving no stone unturned to find a breakthrough, it was important for Kerala not to lose a wicket.

The idea was simple – with 110 overs remaining, the team should just focus on scoring three runs per over to cross the line. With a one-run lead in the first innings, the Kerala players were advised against rushing the chase.

As Sachin Baby and Akshay Chandran started the proceedings on Wednesday, the team cheered for them after every second ball. And even when things got a bit tricky, with the side losing six wickets, Khurasiya sent regular messages to Mohammed Azharuddeen and Salman Nizar, ensuring they did not lose the plot.

Having played together for a decade, Nizar and Azharuddeen followed the coach’s advice and played by the merit of the ball, going on to forge an unbroken 115-run partnership for the seventh wicket, which eventually helped Kerala earn a draw and book a semifinal spot.

“He (Khurasiya) sent us a lot of messages throughout, and since he has played for India and comes with vast experience, his messages are always very important for us,” Azharuddeen told  Sportstar.

“He is helping us a lot. For all five days, he sat with the team throughout the game and was very involved, and that motivated the side…”

Coming on the back of a century in the first innings, Nizar knew his job was to anchor the innings, whereas, for Azharuddeen, it was about playing a few shots occasionally. “This year, we were in a similar situation in the group league game against Bengal, where we lost six early wickets, and then both of us fought back. Here too, we were just following the process that we have to play the time, we have to play the overs. We were not looking for runs,” Azharuddeen said.

With the surface easing out at times, they were tempted to play some big shots. “But we were told to control our instincts, so we limited our shots,” Azharuddeen said with a smile, as Nizar agreed.

“The fact that I scored a century in the first innings boosted my confidence, and I knew that I had to bat for long to take my team to a safe position,” Nizar said, adding that playing on turners back home helped them play the spinners well.

Ahead of another semifinal after six years, the team is brimming with confidence.