Although they failed to win the Ranji Trophy, Sachin Baby and his team returned with a runner-up finish, which is a golden moment in Kerala's cricket history. The team that started as the Travancore-Cochin cricket team and later became the Kerala team played in the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in its history. Kerala lost the title after conceding a draw in the fourth attempt of Vidarbha, who had previously won the title twice. Vidarbha, who lost the toss in the final held at their home ground Nagpur, had scored 379 runs in the first innings. The fate of the match was clear when Kerala's first innings ended at 342. On the last day, Vidarbha's second innings reached 375/9, and the game ended in a draw. Vidarbha was declared the winner with its 37-run lead in the first innings.

The welcome given by the Sports community of Kerala to the team that came in as the runner-up, even though they could not become champions, shows the level of confidence the team that played in the final has given to Kerala cricket. Kerala has become one of the best teams in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Trophy from the time when Kerala was nothing in national cricket. A Malayali named Sanju Samson is gaining international attention now when there was a time when a Malayali presence in the national team was a dream. Kerala contributes excellent players to the country not only in men's cricket but also in women's cricket. A handful of international standard women players like Minnu Mani, Sajana Sajeevan, Asha Sobhana and Joshita are the pride of Kerala. The Kerala Cricket Association has the financial security to formulate and implement projects without waiting for the government's mercy like other sports associations, which is the reason for the growth of cricket in the state.

The path to this change was paved by the Kerala Cricket Association, which took the lead years ago in building stadiums and establishing cricket academies in every district. KCA, which has prepared excellent grounds in Mangalapuram and Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram, is also responsible for the maintenance of the Karyavattom Greenfield Stadium. A handful of players have emerged from the academy at Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad as a result of ensuring good quality training in district-level cricket academies. The current KCA governing body organized its own cricket league on the model of IPL last year. This league has become a great platform for players from Kerala to showcase their excellence in the Twenty20 format to the world. Decision has been made to continue the league in the coming seasons as well.

KCA is taking steps to make cricket an inspiration for young players. KCA's action of flying the players of the under-14 and 16 levels to Nagpur to watch the Ranji Trophy final is commendable. Kerala became Ranji Trophy finalists after decades of waiting. If this momentum continues, we can bring that crown to Kerala. Sincerely hope that we can do it next season. Best wishes to captain Sachin Baby, head coach Amay Khurasia, chief selector P. Prashanth, other players, coaches, selectors and above all, the Kerala Cricket Association for helping and supporting the team.