Vathsal Govind brings solidity to Kerala’s batting

Made a hundred on his Ranji Trophy return after three years

There is to Vathsal Govind’s batting, a calm assurance.

That is something Kerala’s batting line-up in red-ball cricket really needs, especially now when someone like Rohan Prem is no longer in the eleven. With a fine hundred in his first innings on his return, he showed why he had been thought of so highly. The fact is, he shouldn’t have been dropped after his debut match three years ago.

He is rock solid in defence, built on technique. And he has excellent temperament. In a batting line-up featuring aggressive batters like Sanju Samson, Vishnu Vinod and now Rohan Kunnummal, Vathsal has an important role to play. He has done that so far in the two innings he has had here so far.

The 22-year-old is delighted that he could contribute to Kerala’s two wins in as many games. “I was very happy that I could score a century (106 not out) against Meghalaya and help my team get a big first-innings lead,” Vathsal told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Though he made only 25 against Gujarat, he put on 97 for the sixth-wicket with Vishnu Vinod and that proved crucial. “I was disappointed with the way I got out after doing all the work, but it felt great being part of a remarkable victory,” he said. “It was thrilling to watch that chase by Sachin and Rohan.”

Vathsal wants to continue to do well for Kerala, a team he chose to make a career with, after learning his cricket in Delhi. “I had played for the Delhi State, and it was there I trained for several years as a kid, under coaches like Tarak Sinha,” he said. “I am glad that I decided to play for Kerala, where my paternal family belongs.”

He moved to Kerala six years ago and has been part of its age-group teams. He was, in fact the leading scorer, with 1235 runs, in the Cooch-Behar Trophy (Under-19) tournament in 2018-19.