IPL 2021: [WATCH] - Sanju Samson reminisces his journey with Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson went down memory lane on Saturday, reliving some of the most memorable pictures from his decade-old journey with the IPL franchise.
In a special video shared by the Royals on their Twitter account, Samson talked about the backstory behind each of the memorable pictures. The first photo Samson relived was of him getting the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his half-century during his maiden Champions League season.
Recalling the moment, he said:
"First one is from the Champions League match. I scored a half century, my first Champions League season. It was a very special one; wickets at that time used to fly actually, some good fast bowling attack I was facing, and I was happy with my half century.’’
Stokesy, Universe Boss, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid all feature in Sanju's emotional memory recap! 💗
#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @IamSanjuSamson https://t.co/qEkwF9MkXN
The second picture was of the Kerala cricketer receiving the 'best young player of the season award' for his stellar exploits during the 2013 edition of the cash-rich league. Terming it a 'special moment', Samson said:
"This is me receiving the best young player award of the season. I think it was 2013. Yes, it was (a) very special moment for me; it was my first IPL, and doing well for the team gave me this award,"
Next up was his picture with former Royals captain Rahul Dravid. Samson paid tribute to the legendary Dravid while also admitting that he used to be extremely hesitant while talking to the former captain initially.
"It's with the boss. This photo is with Rahul (Dravid) sir. You can see my face, I always used to hesitate a lot to go up to him and talk about anything. I was young, and used to respect him a lot. I do respect now also, but at that time I used to feel a lot of hesitation."
"Everyone here at the Rajasthan Royals team had a great time with Rahul sir. We learnt a lot, and we are still learning a lot from him. So, yes, this is a special picture for me," Samson added.
Samson will once again be the key man for the Royals in the upcoming second leg of IPL 2021.
"When you don't score runs, you start doubting yourself" - Sanju Samson
Another picture Sanju Samson relived was from the opening game of IPL 2021. He scored a magnificent hundred, but ended up getting dismissed on the final delivery of the game.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, the Kerala stumper hailed it as a special game. He said:
"This one is from the first game we played this season at Wankhede against Punjab, where I got out on the last ball of the game. We did lose the game, but it was a special game; every match you lose or win becomes specia."
Samson also recalled his whirlwind blitz in Sharjah in IPL 2020. He admitted that the underwhelming performances that followed after a sensational start were tough to deal with. He had to fight with himself to get out of the rut, revealing in this regard:
"Really enjoyed this innings, to be honest. This is from the last season we played in Dubai. I think I got off to a great start in the tournament, where I got two 'Man of the Matches', and then didn't get much runs for 2-3 matches. "
"Yes, when you don't score runs, a lot of people do talk about a lot of things, but more importantly, you yourself start doubting yourself. So, I fought that really hard, and I had a great fight inside me,"
Samson further recounted a picture of him trying to steal a single from 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle. He also reminisced a picture with Indian head coach Ravi Shastri in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ben Stokes' 'farewell' photo early on in the season was the next moment the Rajasthan Royals captain recalled. Stokes bid adieu to IPL 2021 prematurely due to a finger injury he sustained during the game against Punjab Kings. Samson also talked about Jos Buttler's baby girl Georgia's birthday celebrations.
Rajasthan will resume their IPL 2021 campaign against the Punjab Kings in Dubai on September 21. The inaugural IPL winners will hope their captain leads from the front as they look to make the playoffs this season.