With barely nine balls to practice over just 20 days, and no access to a proper turf, the island squad entered the ISCL tournament in Bangalore facing challenges far greater than their mainland rivals. The players, led by captain Jairam and vice-captain Sunder Pandey, acknowledged that the lack of adequate facilities back home played a decisive role in their performance during the fast-paced nine-over tennis-ball format.
The team lost their matches against Chandigarh on December 5 and Andhra Pradesh on December 7, before delivering a stronger fight against Lakshadweep. Despite the losses, the players said the tournament became an important learning experience that fuelled a new sense of enthusiasm for the fast-growing softball cricket format.
According to team members, the islands’ training limitations were stark. With no turf, inconsistent practice grounds and minimal cricketing infrastructure, players were restricted to short practice windows and limited ball sessions. “When you enter a national-level tournament after practising with just nine balls, you’re already a step behind,” Tarun an icon player noted.
But amidst the struggles, the tournament also revealed a turning point, one driven largely by the determination of an individual whose efforts have now opened a pathway for change. Azizur Rehman, described by the squad as the team’s biggest support system, has been pushing for the creation of a turf facility in the Andaman Islands, something players say could transform local cricket and prevent future teams from missing out simply due to lack of resources.
His initiative, players say, symbolises the growing realisation that sports infrastructure is not a luxury, but a necessity if island athletes are to compete with their mainland counterparts. With the ISCL head Gangadhar Raju emphasising that the sport is moving toward more structured, national-level formats, and even pointing to the proposed 2028 Soft Ball Turf Match World Cup, the absence of a proper turf in the islands has become a critical gap.
Youth Chamber of Commerce president Tanveer Singh, who came out to support the players through the tournament, said the participation highlighted both the potential and the challenges.
Singh proposed school-level screening could be the next major step, allowing early identification of talent and creating a steady pipeline for national selection. He stressed that the enthusiasm generated by the Bangalore tournament proves that the islands hold strong sporting potential – what’s missing is the infrastructure to match it.
Captain Jairam said the team will come back stronger in February, promising that the lessons from this season would shape a more competitive future.
For a team that trained with nine balls and fought with limited resources, their ISCL journey ended with something more valuable than a scoreboard – hope. Hope that with community support, and focused investment in facilities like turf grounds, no Andaman team will again lose matches simply because they lacked what others had.
What began as a challenging tournament may now become the spark that reshapes the future of island cricket.
