Sanju, Sreesanth thrilled as Team Kerala create Ranji Trophy history

Sanju Samson has been Kerala's big miss in the Ranji Trophy this season for various reasons. But the star batter did not miss his side's historic progress to a first-ever final on Friday. He followed the semifinal match against Gujarat on TV and shared his excitement as Kerala clinched a dramatic first-innings lead before securing a match-clinching draw.

"Absolutely thrilled to see this happening. A dream we all believed together 10 years ago," posted Sanju on Instagram. Former international S Sreesanth also shared his delight at Team Kerala’s performance. “Malayali puliyada,” Sreesanth posted.

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju, who captains Kerala when he plays, also shared a screengrab from a crucial moment in the match. It was the stumping of Jaymeet Patel, who had taken Gujarat to the verge of grabbing a vital lead with a patient 79 off 177. Mohammed Azharuddeen stumped Patel off Aditya Sarwate's bowling early in the first session on Day 5 to turn the game in Kerala's favour.

Sanju recently underwent surgery on his index finger, which was fractured during India's T20I home series against England. Due to his commitments with the national team, Sanju played only one match for Kerala in the Ranji this season. It was a second-round match against Karnataka at Alur in the third week of October. Only 50 overs were possible in that rain-hit four-dayer, which ended in a draw.

In between, Sanju played a part in Kerala's Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 campaign. Later, he had a fallout with the Kerala Cricket Association in connection with the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The KCA accused Sanju of deliberately missing the camp, and a public spat followed, with Sreesanth backing the superstar. Meanwhile, Sanju returned to playing for Team India in the T20I series, where he suffered a fracture.