"He's definitely a match-winner" - Joe Root opens up on sharing RR dressing room with Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL 2023

England and Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Joe Root recently named veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as one of the players he is excited to see play in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).

Hailing Ashwin as a match-winner, Root mentioned that he is looking forward to sharing the dressing room with the seasoned spinner. Speaking to PTI, he said:

"Ravichandran Ashwin is another name I'm really excited about. He's definitely a match-winner, and it's great to get the opportunity to work with these guys up close, watch them go about things, learn from them, and hopefully spend some treasured memories with them as well."

The former England Test captain also pointed out that Indian batter Riyan Parag chipped in with some useful knocks for the Rajasthan-based franchise the previous season.

He emphasized that he wants to observe and learn from his teammates during the competition, adding:

"He [Riyan Parag] played some important innings last year at a very young age, but I think he is quite mature as a player. I'm looking forward to watching and learning from these guys and seeing how they go about practice and how they think about the game."

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Notably, Root earned his maiden IPL contract after he was roped in by RR at the IPL 2023 mini-auction at his base price of ₹1 crore. A successful stint with RR could give the right-handed batter's T20 career a new lease of life.

"Seems to keep growing every year as a player and as a leader" - Joe Root on RR captain Sanju Samson

Joe Root also reserved high praise for RR captain Sanju Samson, stating that he has always enjoyed seeing the keeper-batter play. He opined that Samson has gotten better every year, both as a player and as a captain.

Root expressed his excitement over playing in front of the team's home crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur as the competition returns to its home-and-away format. He added:

"Last year was an exceptional year for the franchise and I've always enjoyed watching Sanju [Samson] play. I think he's a hell of a talent and seems to keep growing every year as a player and as a leader.

"I've heard a lot of things. And I'm really looking forward to living it now. It's gonna be a very special year with the fact that the Royals are coming back to Jaipur and connecting with the fans and the city again. We're looking forward to embracing that atmosphere and being a part of it."

Samson and Co. enjoyed tremendous success in last year's cash-rich league, making it their second-ever final. However, they suffered a seven-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) in the summit clash, finishing as the runners-up.

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RR will open their IPL 2023 campaign with an afternoon clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, April 2.