Sreesanth gave me the best advice till now says Sachin Baby

The Ranji Trophy is all set to commence on October 6, and Sachin Baby is focused on leading the Kerala team for the third time. Kerala will lock horns with teams like Saurashtra and Gujarat, and they don’t have a great record in the past to boost. The skipper believes that the team is determined to do well this season, and the experience from the good outing in the KSCA Trophy will help the boys.

Baby also spoke about the change in the domestic circuit and the impact of IPL. He also shared some words on his senior statesman S. Sreesanth, under whom, Baby made his debut. Baby spoke to Times of India and here are the excerpts from the interview:

Impact of IPL

On the positive change in domestic cricket, Baby said “For the past four or five years, things have changed for the better. Many good players have come in through IPL. Earlier, if you were a Kerala player, you had to perform well at the State level, South Zone, Duleep Trophy and the like to finally get noticed. Not anymore. If you perform well for one or two years in IPL, you can grab a spot in the India A team.”

“Moreover, people watch these matches a lot more and your name becomes familiar. Thanks to the changed circumstances, I now know many kids who dare to think about the game as a profession and decide to work towards it even after Class 10.” he added.

Interestingly, when asked about the best advice that he got so far in his playing career, Baby mentioned the name of Sreesanth and said “Sreesanth was the Kerala team captain, when I debuted in 2009 and since then, he has been someone who has always backed me. He has also been my mentor. Something that sticks to my mind is when he gave me a pep talk, way back in 2013, while I was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad. He asked me to never give up on my dreams, and assured me that I have got what it takes to play for the country. It’s something that’s etched onto my mind and drives me to do well.”

He was then asked about Sreesanth’s chances of making a comeback in the Kerala side, as the Indian pacer had earlier expressed his wish of playing for Kerala again and help them lift the trophy. “There were talks, and Kerala Cricket Association is very supportive too. But we have to wait for BCCI’s permission. He is now taking the fitness test for the Kerala team, in Chennai. We were also training together and I have seen that he is doing well, overall. Hope everything falls into place soon. We all miss having him in the team, as he has always been a morale booster.” Baby said, in an optimistic tone.