"Kerala's finest batsman, Balan Pandit, was a hair's breadth away from playing for India in 1955-56, while KN Ananthapadmanabhan, their best spinner, toiled away for 17 long years without gaining national recognition."
Whimsically I can't help but imagine the Indian selectors (whiskered, ex-military men) of the 1990s applauding the fine spin bowling from the far end and, turning to one another, asking "What's that chap's name? Is he qualified to play for India?"
And by the time the helpful Keralan official had got halfway through
" Karumanaseri Narayanaiyer Ananthapadmanabhan - he was born in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram)"
they'd given up and picked Anil Kumble again.
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POSTSCRIPT
Can you imagine being a Keralan cheerleader. "Give me a 'K'"!
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