I have matured as a leader, says Rohan Kunnummal after return to Kerala captaincy

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. It was indeed a diadem of thorns for Rohan S. Kunnummal when he took the hot seat as Kerala captain two seasons ago. 

Rohan and his team’s performance went into a free-fall, prompting him to relinquish the captaincy midway through the Ranji season. His career had touched a lofty peak during the 2021-22 season in which he belted three consecutive hundreds in Ranji Trophy and followed it up with century in Duleep Trophy. He then ended the season on a high after getting a India-A call up against Bangladesh.

In his second avatar as Kerala captain for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 in Ahmedabad, a relaxed Rohan smiles at the likely stress of captaincy and says he is more matured and experienced to face the pitfalls.

“I gave up the captaincy when I felt the pressure after a string of bad scores. The team wasn’t performing well. I was short of confidence and wanted to concentrate on batting. I voluntarily stepped down. Now I am more relaxed and matured. I have learned the nuances and am more confident now. Leading the Calicut Globstars in KCL in the last two seasons helped me learn the tricks,” he said.

His re-elevation to captain came as the team management and KCA sought a long term candidate after Kerala’s Ranji captain Mohammed Azharuddeen’s dip in form and Sanju Samson’s continued unavailability.

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“I had a chat with the coach Amay Khurasiya sir and the chairman of selectors Prasanth Padmanabhan. They wanted me as captain and told me not to worry about my form, so I accepted it in the best interest of the team. I’m happy with the way things have panned out in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. I have support from all players and am really enjoying my stint as captain,” he added.

Rohan is also in red hot form in this tournament, scoring two centuries which included a match-winning 124 against Jharkhand. With Kerala having an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout, Rohan is focussed on the task ahead. “The win against Rajasthan was huge for us. It gave us confidence. We beat a strong Jharkhand side and we hope to carry that momentum forward into the last two matches to secure qualification,” he said.

Published on Jan 04, 2026