Asnodkar urges Kerala to do well in all formats ahead of Ranji opener

Swapnil Asnodkar said he wants Kerala to do well in all formats as the team prepares to face Jharkhand in their first Ranji match of the season, which starts in Jamshedpur on Sunday. He took charge of the senior side after working with the Kerala Under-23 team.

Eighteen years on, Asnodkar recalled a loose shot he played against Sreekumar Nair at Palakkad when, after opening the innings for Goa, he was dismissed for 191 in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy; he was the Goa captain then and enjoyed his team’s battles with Kerala. Having worked with the Kerala Under-23 side, Asnodkar said he was only happy to take up the offer to coach the senior team. “We need to do well in all the formats,” he said. “And we are not thinking about things like qualifying for the knock-out at the moment.”

Asnodkar spoke on the eve of Kerala’s first Ranji match of the season against Jharkhand. “I am looking forward to this game and the wicket looks good,” Asnodkar told The Hindu. “We are ready for it. It is up to the boys now to go and express themselves.”

He welcomed the returns of Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate to the Kerala side and described their presence in the spin department. “Their return takes care of our spin attack,” he said. “It is good to have such experience in the team.”

Asnodkar also singled out Sachin Baby as a central figure in the batting lineup. “He has been playing for the last 17 years,” he said. “And he is looking hungry.”

Kerala’s opening Ranji fixture against Jharkhand begins on Sunday in Jamshedpur, where Asnodkar will lead the senior side in their first match of the season.