"I hope Sanju you remember this" - When Wasim Akram gave a sendoff to a 16-year-old Sanju Samson in KKR's nets in IPL 2010
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Wasim Akram recently narrated an interesting tale about Sanju Samson. The current Rajasthan Royals captain came to bat in KKR's pre-season camp of IPL 2010, where Akram dismissed him.
During an appearance on Sportskeeda Cricket's Match Ki Baat show, Wasim Akram disclosed that Sanju Samson was a very shy guy at that time. Since KKR did not have all the bowlers available for the pre-season camp, Wasim himself decided to bowl against a 16-year-old Sanju Samson.
The youngster was clueless against the first two out-swinging balls bowled by Wasim. On the third ball, Wasim swung it into the right-hander and rattled his stumps.
"I think this incident happened in 2010. I remember KKR had a black kit in 2010. They changed to purple in 2011. So we organized a camp before IPL. Not at Eden Gardens, but on another ground. So there were few bowlers only available for the camp," Wasim Akram recalled.
Sharing the exact details of what happened that day in the nets, Wasim continued:
"Sanju Samson came in to bat. He was a very shy boy then. He used to be silent, and his wicketkeeping skills were great. Then, he came to bat as well. So, I took the ball, and I hope Sanju you remember this. Sanju will remember this.
"I beat him with a couple of outswingers. I was also young at that time. The third ball I bowled an inswinger and rattled his stumps. So I went and did like this (shows the sendoff he gave by swinging his finger)," he concluded.
Two years later, Samson received a contract worth ₹8 lakh from KKR. He was a part of the Kolkata squad that became champions in IPL 2012.
"I got that feeling that he can become a good player" - Wasim Akram says he knew Sanju Samson had the potential
Further talking about his experience of working with Sanju Samson at Kolkata Knight Riders, Wasim Akram said that he got an idea of Samson's potential during his early days only.
"At that time, he did not get a chance, but I felt that he had the potential to become a good player in the future. He was silent. He was a young kid. When big names are around you, you tend to come under pressure. I was with him for a short time only, but I got that feeling that he can become a good player," Wasim Akram added.
KKR released Samson after the 2012 season. He joined Rajasthan Royals in 2013, and 11 years later, he is the captain of the team now.