"I felt like I had played enough matches" - Sanju Samson recalls how he became RR skipper
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson recently opened up on how he received the opportunity to lead the franchise in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Apart from two seasons at the Delhi Daredevils (DD), Samson has been with the Royals since 2013 and quickly became one of their most dependable players at a pretty young age. When RR's lead owner asked him about the opportunity to be the skipper, Samson believed he was fully ready for it.
Here's what Sanju Samson said in an event on Star Sports:
"I think we were playing in Dubai, and our lead owner, Manoj Badale, came up to me and asked whether I'm ready to lead the side. I said I am ready. So that was it, it was as simple as that, and I felt like I had played enough matches and spent enough time in this franchise to know that I can do that role, and I was confident that I could do it. And I was very happy that things are going good.”
Samson has shown glimpses of being a great man-manager and a leader who sets the tone by taking the initiative. He took RR to the final of the IPL 2022 season, where they lost to the Gujarat Titans.
Sanju Samson on his mindset as a batter
Sanju Samson is known for his explosive ability with the bat and hasn't been shy of playing the big shots from ball one when needed.
Samson believes that when there's so much competition for spots in the Indian team, he has to play a unique brand of cricket. The right-hander feels being aggressive right from the get-go brings the best out of him.
He stated:
“I I always wanted to stand out with the way I bat. I just wanted to create my own style of batting and no matter even if it was the first ball, I just want to go out there and hit a six. So, that's a shift in the mindset that I had and I just wanted to do something different like why do we have to wait for 10 balls to hit a six?"
During the conversation, Samson also stressed upon the importance of remaining hungry and continuously improving as per the demands of the game.
RR will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against the Lucknow Super Giants on March 24.