Two of the most fascinating stories of this Ranji Trophy season unfolded at Kerala’s picturesque Wayanad Cricket Stadium (Krishnagiri) over the last couple of days. In golden sunlight on Wednesday evening, Sanju Samson came out to bat — at the fall of the ninth Kerala wicket. That stunned the fielding side — Gujarat — and the small number of spectators.

For, Keralas most accomplished batsmans ring finger on his right hand had been broken by left-arm seamer Arzan Nagwaswalla on the opening day, forcing him to retire hurt on 17. He batted with one hand, survived nine balls and helped Jalaj Saxena add eight more runs. In a low-scoring match on a two-paced green top, even one run could have proved crucial.

If Sachin Babys men needed one more compelling reason to go all out for an unprecedented quarterfinal victory, Samson provided that. Such courage, such sacrifice ought not go in vain.

It did not.

The biggest story

Kerala, which had set a target of 195, bowled Gujarat out for 81 to author the biggest story of the 85th edition of Indias premier domestic tournament. A State that has no great cricket tradition to boast of and that used to be the whipping boys of South Zone for much of its Ranji history dating back to 1957-58, is now one of the semifinalists.

The win at Krishnagiri was fashioned by Keralas pacers. In Sandeep Warrier and Basil Thampi, the team could claim to have the best new-ball attack in the competition.

The 72 wickets they have taken, between them, support that claim (they took eight each against Gujarat). And Kerala played all its four home matches on the turning track at Thumpa, Thiruvananthapuram, where Saxenas off-spin came in handy (he has 28 wickets).

The Indore-born all-rounder is also Keralas leading run-getter, with 537 runs. Baby, opener P. Rahul and Vishnu Vinod are the other main scorers.

But two of the most vital innings in Kerala’s campaign were played by Vinoop Manoharan and Sijomon Joseph, both of who fancy themselves more as spinners. Coach Dav Whatmore asked them to bat at the top of the order in crunch situations, and they delivered.

With several master-strokes like that, the veteran Australian coach has transformed this young team — which doesnt include a single player who has played a Test or an ODI — into a group of men who believe they can beat anyone, anywhere.

Three former champions — Delhi, Bengal and Gujarat — have already been felled by them. They are hungry for more.