KOCHI: There is a sense of deja vu around Kerala’s spin department ahead of the Ranji Trophy season. Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate is back, and with Jalaj Saxena alongside him, Kerala once again look like a team capable of dictating terms and asserting their dominance on pitches that offer even the slightest assistance.For Sarwate, 36, the return is a homecoming of sorts. He helped chalk out Kerala’s journey to the Ranji final last season, his first year with the state, when he took 36 wickets.A year later, after playing for Chhattisgarh, Sarwate returns to familiar territory.“I enjoyed my time in Kerala, when we reached the Ranji Trophy final. There was some miscommunication with the then Kerala coach Amay Khurasiya, following which I shifted to Chhattisgarh. After last season, I approached KCA, asking them if I could return, and they readily agreed,” he told TOI.The reunion with Jalaj, one of the pillars of Kerala cricket for close to a decade, also restores a partnership that Sarwate cherishes.“I am looking forward to bowling in tandem with Jalaj bhai. He is a true legend,” Sarwate said. “I have picked up details about the game after bowling with him. His game awareness, field placements and building pressure on the opposition are top-notch.”Jalaj, the off-spinner, and Sarwate, the left-arm spinner give Kerala attack the ammunition it requires to go the distance this season. Kerala pacer MD Nidheesh, currently in Chennai with the Duleep Trophy squad, knows what Kerala missed in their absence last season.“With their return, it feels like the good old days,” Nideesh offered. “We missed Jalaj bhai and Aditya last season, especially on pitches that aided spin,” he elaborated.Jalaj moved to Maharashtra last season after obtaining the NOC from the KCA, citing personal reasons. “Once his personal issues were sorted, he chose to come back to the team that has been his home for close to a decade,” KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar said.The return of these two spinners comes when Kerala wants a stronger push after a modest 2025-26 league season, where they finished Elite Group B with one win, two losses and four draws from seven games.The new season starts on Oct 11 when Kerala plays Jharkhand.Before that, Sarwate is poised to feature in Kerala’s two practice games against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar from Sept 11, as part of the team’s preparations for the Ranji season.New Kerala coach announcement soonThe KCA is set to announce the head coach for the Kerala Ranji Trophy team soon, with a top official stating it would be done by the end of this week.“We were waiting for the KCL to get over. The core committee has already met candidates and meetings are taking place. We expect an announcement in a couple of days, latest by the end of this week,” Kumar added.Khurasiya, the former India international who guided Kerala to their maiden Ranji Trophy final two years ago, stepped down as head coach at the end of the previous season after the completion of his two-year tenure.