Monish Kareparambil’s 11-wicket haul (6/81 and 5/46) against Group C table-toppers, Saurashtra in the penultimate round won Kerala the match and catapulted them to the No 2 spot in the points table. With a match still to be played in the league phase, Kerala are in the reckoning for a place in the knock-outs.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Kareparambil shifted to Kerala at the behest of his brother Varun. His brother and coach Satish Samant felt the youngster may get more opportunities to display his skills if he moved to the state from where the family comes from.
Kareparambil played local cricket in Kerala for a year and then went for district selections. Then after about four-years of playing age-group cricket, the left-arm spinner made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2014-15 season.
However, he was not a spinner to begin with. Kareparambil started out as an opening batsman, and was later converted into a left-arm spinner cum a middle-order batsman. “It was my brother who told me that you can be a better player, a better spinner so that’s how I started bowling left-arm spin,” he told bcci.tv.
While still in Mumbai it was his coach Samant who guided the bowler. “He was the person who actually taught me how to bowl left-arm spin,” Kareparambil added while speaking about the change in skill.
Explaining the move, Samant told bcci.tv, “There is a rhythm in his bowling which I found appealing. I felt he had the potential and he responded also well. He is intelligent and very calm cricketer, which are the qualities required for a spinner. His basics are strong and he assesses the situations well. Tactically he is good.
“He is also a disciplined cricketer and a good fielder,” added the coach with whom Kareparambil stays in touch with and seeks advice whenever needed.
The skill has brought him huge success this season. He has claimed 42 wickets in seven Ranji matches and is among the leading wicket-takers. Speaking about the preparations ahead of the season, the 25-year old said, “This season, our coach P Balachandran Sir made us work on attaining consistency. He has been making us do a lot of bowling this year. He has given us space and encouraged us to do our own thing. What I have been trying to do is creating chances which have helped me get wickets.”
“This year I have been working more on my arm ball which has got me wickets and also worked on top-spin. I feel my strength is that I can turn the ball on most of the wickets.”
Kareparambil also works on his batting whenever he gets the opportunity. “Right now I bat lower down the order. The role I have been given is to anchor the innings from one side and stick around with the batsmen who are playing at the other end. So I have been able to build partnerships,” he explained.
