VIDEO | Sanju Samson comes to bat with a broken finger and sees off nine balls

01/17/2019

We have many instances in cricket where a player has come out on the field in spite of injury or illness just for the sake of his team. Sanju Samson did exactly that as he came out to bat with a broken finger during Kerala’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final game against Gujarat yesterday.

Cricketers coming out to bat despite sustaining injuries is nothing new to the game. Like Graeme Smith against Australia in Sydney Test in 2009 or Tamim Iqbal in the Asia Cup game against Sri Lanka last year, players have often shown courage and selflessness that would shock people. But, both of the above instances were international matches and honestly, hardly anyone expected to see Kerala batsman Sanju Samson to come out to bat with a broken finger on Day 2 of Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Gujarat yesterday.

The wicket-keeper was hit on his right hand and the ring finger was hurt in the first innings, while he was facing Rush Kalaria’s delivery. He had to get retired hurt for 17 then, but in the second innings when the home team Kerala was almost down and out at 163/9, Samson was needed at the crease as there was an accomplished batsman like Jalaj Saxena at the other end.

Without having any concerns for his broken finger, Samson arrived on the pitch to join Saxena and the pair added nine runs for the team. The 24-year-old stayed there and faced nine deliveries bravely before the umpire raised his finger after an LBW appeal by left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who had hit Samson’s bat. Although he got out for a duck, his act of bravery drew praises from all quarters.

"I wanted to support Jalaj because he was batting well. Every run he scored out there was valuable. But such is the game you cannot decide how it will go. I had to face back to back deliveries,” Samson said, reported Manorama.

Kerala managed to beat Gujarat by 113 runs on the third day today and made it to the semi-finals of Ranji Trophy.