Manav is one of the brightest young talents in Kerala cricket, having played in the Ranji Trophy before earning an under-19 India cap.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As a young boy watching cricket on television, Manav Krishna was enamoured by M.S. Dhoni’s lightning-fast skills behind the stumps. He developed a fascination with wicket-keeping and dreamt of becoming a cricketer like the former Indian captain.
Today, Manav is one of the brightest young talents in Kerala cricket, having played in the Ranji Trophy before earning an under-19 India cap.
However, the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) has proved to be an elusive stage for Manav, who is yet to play a single match in the State’s premier T20 tournament.
He was a surprise omission in the second season auction. Though he was picked as a replacement midway through the league, a call-up for the NCA camp delayed his KCL debut.
The long-awaited debut may be on the horizon in the third season after getting selected by Thrissur Titans.
The 18-year-old heads into the tournament high on confidence after scoring a century against Sri Lanka in the second youth Test in July.
He remains optimistic that he will be able to make the transition from the slow-burning longer format to the frantic pace of T20 cricket.
“I am very confident that I will be able to adapt to T20 cricket, and I think I have the strokes to succeed in this format. I played on a good batting track in Sri Lanka and made good use of the opportunity. I played the ball on merit, and it was satisfying to score a century against Sri Lanka,’’ he said.
Manav enjoyed a prolific 2025-26 season in the Cooch Behar Trophy, amassing 590 runs with two centuries. His batting was the lone bright spot for Kerala in a disastrous campaign. Manav’s consistent performance earned him a place in the Ranji Trophy team. He made his debut against Goa and impressed with his glovework, taking four catches and playing a small but significant role in his team’s consolation win.
Manav’s rise, however, is also a story of a bold leap of faith when he made the calculated decision to shift his cricketing base from the hyper-competitive corridors of Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram.
He found a mentor in S.S. Shine at St. Mary’s Cricket Academy. “I have been training under Shine sir ever since I came to Thiruvananthapuram. He has played a big part in moulding my career and refining my skills’’ said Manav.
“He is very hard-working, sincere and above all, very focused. I am happy with the way he has progressed, and the India Under-19 cap doesn’t surprise me. He is one of the best young talents in Kerala right now,’’ said Shine.
And Manav is trying his best to live up to the expectations.
Published – August 10, 2026 07:12 pm IST
