Thirty youngsters, part of the state under-14s and under-16s, had been flown into Nagpur by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) in anticipation of
Sachin Baby's team creating history by winning their maiden Ranji Trophy title. While
they didn't see their illustrious seniors win Indian domestic cricket's biggest prize, some of them clicked pictures with the replica of the Ranji Trophy, perhaps dreaming of laying their hands on the main one in the years to come.
Several members of the Kerala team, heartbroken and lost for words, recognised the presence of these young kids in the stands, posing for pictures even as Baby momentarily brought some comic relief at the presentation. "You guys have beaten us in all three knockout stages. Next time, guys, we'll beat you. We'll give you a tougher time," Baby told the Vidarbha team in jest.
In 2017-18, Kerala were beaten by Vidarbha
in the quarter-final. In the following season, Kerala were
ousted in the semi-final. In 2024-25, Kerala were vanquished in their maiden final. Baby was part of all the heartbreaks. This one may have been the toughest to take, because Baby was at the front and centre of their march. A lead was in touching distance when Baby let the temptation of a hundred in his 100th first-class game get to him.
"Brain fade," he said at the post-match press conference, of the slog he dragged to Karun Nair at deep midwicket on 98. The occasion couldn't have been bigger; a century in his 100th first-class game may have well killed the game. But it wasn't to be; it was as if they'd run out of luck in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, which they scraped through courtesy leads of one and two runs respectively.