Home
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain and stylish batter, Sanju Samson has already played a couple of eye-catching knocks in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter produced another masterclass on April 16 (Sunday) when his side was tottering against the defending champions. Chasing a target of 178 runs, Samson walked to bat when RR was reeling at 4/2. From thereon, Samson steadied Rajasthan's innings and pounced on any opportunity to score runs quickly.
The stylish batter scored 60 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours and six sixes. He took Rashid Khan to the cleaners and smashed him for three sixes in an over.
After the game, former India spinner and two-time World Cup winner (T20 World Cup in 2007 and ODI World Cup in 2011), Harbhajan Singh lauded Samson and even compared him to the great MS Dhoni.
"Huge, a captain's knock. Such players have more courage than other players. He is a special player. He had an even bigger impact than Hetmyer because he made the game and Shimron Hetmyer finished it," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
"If you have confidence in your ability, you can take the match deep. MS Dhoni used to take the game deep because he didn't have any doubt over his ability. He knew that if he stays till the end, he will finish the match," he added.
Shimron Hetmyer (56 not out off 26 balls) played a match-winning knock later on in the innings and took RR to the promised land. But it was Samson's setup that paved way for Hetmyer's cameo.
Harbhajan reflected on Samson's ability and said that the right-handed batter should definitely be playing for India.
"Hetmyer also did that. He stayed till the end and finished the match but who took the match till the end - Sanju Samson. This player has so much ability, he should play for India," Harbhajan lauded the duo.
With four wins in five matches, RR solidified their position at the top of the table after the win. They now have eight points in five matches.
ALSO READ:
IPL 2023 Purple Cap: Three bowlers tied with 11 wickets each, Mohammed Shami slides into the top 5
'I thought he did a great job': Mumbai Indians' Australian all-rounder hails Arjun Tendulkar for making an impact on debut
