[Watch] "We Play the ball, not the man" - RR Head Coach Kumar Sangakkara praises skipper Sanju Samson's assault on Rashid Khan
Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara praised Sanju Samson's hat-trick of sixes in Rashid Khan's third over as a game-changing moment in the side's three-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 16.
Sangakkara was particularly impressed by the skipper's ability to play the moment and the ball without regard for the bowler's reputation. Samson struck three sixes off the Afghan spinner in the 13th over to bring life back into a seemingly lackadaisical run chase.
Here is a video of Sangakkara crediting Samson for his game-changing knock and his attack on the world's No.1 T20I spinner:
Coming in with his side in dire straits, Samson played a mature captain's knock of 60 from 32 deliveries, which included three 4's and six 6's. However, his dismissal had seemingly tilted the game in GT's favor before Shimron Hetmyer's sensational knock of 56 from 26 deliveries helped RR prevail in a tight run chase.
In a rematch of last year's finals, the defending champions GT posted a healthy total of 177-7 in their 20 overs. They had good contributions from Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and David Miller, along with a vital cameo from Abhinav Manohar.
In reply, RR suffered early setbacks, including the dismissal of their talisman, Jos Buttler, and talented youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, match-winning performances by Samson and Hetmyer, coupled with contributions from Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, helped them cross the line in the final over of the run chase.
The victory took Rajasthan Royals to the top of the points table with four wins in five matches.
"When you play quality opponents on a quality wicket, you get such games" - RR skipper Sanju Samson
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson was pleased that his side overcame various adversities to win against quality opposition like the Gujarat Titans. In a battle between last year's finalists, RR prevailed in a tense run chase by three wickets with four balls to spare.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Samson was particularly pleased with his bowlers and their efforts in restricting a quality batting lineup on a good pitch.
He said:
"When you play quality opponents on a quality wicket, you get such games. Very happy to compete in such a game and come out on top. It was important to rotate our bowlers, they were playing some quality cricket and we had to respect that. The whole team came up well today and we could restrict them to around 170."
Speaking about Zampa coming in as part of a strategic matchup, he added:
"Today Zampa coming was a way to match-up with the opponents. He was the match-up for Miller and almost got the wicket, but the catch was dropped."
Rajasthan Royals will return home to play the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 19. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans will have almost a week off before they take on Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Saturday, April 22.