Basil Thampi fights Kerala floods to join Duleep Trophy team
Kerala cricketer Basil Thampi, who is amongst the several people affected by the floods in Kerala earlier this month, has revealed his journey starting from his home in Ernakulam to Tamil Nadu to play the Duleep Trophy. However, Thampi has missed out on the first match because of arriving late.
Thampi enjoyed a two-week stint at the National Cricket Academy in Brisbane in July, as part of an exchange programme between Cricket Australia and the MRF Pace Foundation based in Chennai. Upon his return to India, he planned to visit the MRF Pace Foundation in the second week of August and tune up further for the Duleep Trophy. However, it had begun to rain heavily in Kerala due to which Thampi had to cancel his trip to Chennai. He further planned on going straight to Dindigul in Tamil Nadu for the Duleep Trophy. But the rain continued, creating the worst floods in Kerala in nearly a century.
Having been asked to join the India Blue squad in Dindigul on August 21, two days before the start of the four-day match against India Red, Thampi was supposed to fly out of Kochi but then the airport shut because of flooding. However, his fall back option was a train to Madurai on 20th, but that was canceled too at the last moment. Despite the crisis in Kerala escalating, Thampi had mailed the BCCI, saying that he would somehow make it to the Duleep Trophy.
“I explained to the BCCI my situation, but I was desperate not to miss the start of the domestic season,” Thampi told ESPNcricinfo.
Considering the situation, he and his brother decided to wade through the flood waters and make a dash for Madurai, which is about 70 km away from Dindigul, by car. Since his place at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam was on a higher plane, his family and their property were safe.
As Thampi and his brother
“The landslide was a frightening experience and we could not cross the Kumily check post. But we were determined to reach Dindigul and once we reached the Tamil Nadu border, it was easier to go to the team hotel in Madurai. Since I arrived late in Madurai, I could not play this game,” he added.
His next chance would be on August 29, at the same venue, when India Blue take on India Green.
