"Captain for India after Rohit" - Harbhajan Singh wants Sanju Samson to be groomed as India's next T20I skipper
The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured a comprehensive nine-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday, April 22, in the ongoing IPL 2024.
Rajasthan chased down the 180-run target in 18.4 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top performer with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 104. Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler also chipped in with valuable contributions, scoring 38* and 35 respectively.
Following the match, former spinner Harbhajan Singh lavished praise on Sanju Samson. He opined that the keeper-batter has done enough to be part of India's squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator also suggested that Samson should be groomed as the future skipper of the Indian team.
Harbhajan wrote on the microblogging platform X:
"Yashasvi Jaiswal’s knock is a proof of class is permanent . Form is temporary @ybj_19 and there shouldn’t be any debate about Keepar batsman . @IamSanjuSamson should walks in to the Indian team for T20 worldcup and also groomed as a next T20 captain for india after rohit . koi shak ???
Sanju Samson has earned widespread praise for his captaincy in IPL 2024. Rajasthan have lost just one out of their first eight games and are currently placed at the top of the points table.
He has impressed many with his batting exploits as well. Samson is RR's second-highest run-getter this season, having chalked up 314 runs from eight games at a strike rate of 152.42.
"The way we came back was where we won the game" - Sanju Samson on RR bouncing back towards the back end of the MI innings
After being asked to bowl first, RR got off to a fantastic start as they picked up three wickets in the powerplay. With MI's top-order big guns back in the hut early, Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera steadied the ship with a 99-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Sanju Samson opined that Rajasthan sealed the game by bouncing back after the partnership. He also pointed out that the wicket became a bit easier to bat on during the second half of the match.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Samson said:
"Credit has to go to all the players. Started well in the powerplay. In the middle, the left-handers played unbelievably. But the way we came back was where we won the game. Wicket looked a bit dry. But when lights come in, gets colder in the night, it gets better to bat in the second innings."
Rajasthan will now take on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, April 27.