Kerala’s Young Talent Eden Apple Tom Struggles to Shine in Vijay Hazare Trophy

In the spotlight of Indian domestic cricket, the 2025 Ranji Trophy final, a young fast bowler made a significant impact by showcasing his hostile bowling skills. This was Eden Apple Tom’s first match since recovering from a potentially career-ending stress fracture in his back. At just 19, he impressively dismantled Vidarbha’s key batsmen, including Dhruv Shorey, Yash Rathod, and Akshay Wadkar, during the first innings. His performance earned accolades from former India fast bowler Prashant Vaidya and highlighted his tremendous potential.

Despite such a promising start, Eden has struggled to meet expectations in the current Ranji Trophy season. However, he maintains that his form was close to its peak in the recent league match against Madhya Pradesh.

In the season opener, with Maharashtra at a precarious 55 for five, Eden failed to capitalize on the favorable bowling conditions, missing the mark with inconsistent deliveries. While showing signs of improvement against Saurashtra, fielding errors affected his confidence.

“I wasn’t struggling as such. I bowled almost at my best in the last league game against Madhya Pradesh,” Eden reflected. “Against Maharashtra, my mind was unsettled, and I made mistakes. But I’m learning and improving with each match.”

Eden’s experiences in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) were challenging, and he missed out on securing an IPL contract. Nonetheless, he’s taking these setbacks in stride, focusing on honing his white ball cricket skills. “I’m still finding my way in white ball cricket since I didn’t play much at the junior level in Kerala. My introduction to it was during the Under-19 India camp,” he explained. “I primarily bowl hard lengths, so I’m working on controlling the ball’s movement and perfecting my variations with guidance from my coaches and senior bowlers.”

Sony Cheruvathur, a former Kerala captain and Eden’s coach during his formative years, believes that Eden needs to develop a few variations and learn to deploy them effectively in matches. “His tendency to bowl hard lengths in white ball cricket makes him predictable. He must develop variations and use them deftly to keep the batsmen guessing,” Sony advised.

Published on Dec 30, 2025