Ranji Trophy 2018-19: Fans salute Sanju Samson

Kerala Batsman Sanju Samson on Thursday walked out to bat with a fractured finger in the ongoing Ranji Trophy quarter-final match between Gujarat and Kerala at Wayanad.

The right-hand batsman got hurt in the first innings of the match when a ball from Gujarat pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla hit his right ring finger. He was batting on 17 off 34 balls at that time when a ball just took off and hit him. He was immediately taken to the hospital where they confirmed that he has sustained a fracture.

The wicketkeeper-batsman is now out for a few weeks. It came as a surprise for everyone present inside the stadium when they saw him walk out to bat with a broken finger after the fall of the ninth wicket in the second innings for Kerala. Sandeep Warrier was Kerala's ninth wicket to fall in the second innings when Sanju decided to join Jalaj Saxena at the crease to add some crucial runs in the all-important quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy.

Fans at the stadium gave him a huge round of applause for showing such courage and passion for the game. He batted with one hand and added eight vital runs for the final wicket before umpire adjudged him LBW off Axar Patel. Nevertheless, it was a great gesture from the 24-year-old. He set a great example to not give up in difficult times.

Sanju Viswanath Samson, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, has represented India in a T20I against Zimbabwe in 2015, where he scored 19 runs. He comes from Trivandrum in Kerala and plays for Kerala cricket team in domestic cricket. Sanju Samson has a healthy average of 44.70 in first-class cricket with a top score of 211.