Kerala's First Goal, and a Foul of Fate

KERALA, as a unified state, first participated in the Santosh Trophy during the 1957-58 season's tournament in Hyderabad. Ravindran Nair, aka Petta Ravi, was the captain.

- M M JAFAR KHAN

Kerala received a walkover in the first round, and their second-round opponent was Mysore. After Bengal, Mysore was one of the dominant teams at the time. In the 14th edition of the tournament, Mysore were eyeing their second title.

Keralites who had previously played for the Travancore-Cochin and Madras teams laced up their boots for Kerala's first unified match. This historic game in the Kerala jersey took place on February 2, 1958, at the Ghoshamahal Stadium in Hyderabad.

Petta Ravi, Thampi George, Hussain, Peter, Indrapalan, Hamsa, Vincent, Chithanandan, Diclas, George, Sulaiman, and Baby Radharamanan were in the Kerala lineup. Bernard, Yesudas, Ramudu, Mujeebulla, Munitheem... the Mysore team, meanwhile, boasted several international players.

Kerala, with its united strength, managed to hold back their famous and formidable opponents in the first half. In the second half, they played with more confidence.