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Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson suffered a fracture in his index finger during the T20I series against England. Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Samson has been cleared to bat by the Centre of Excellence (formerly known as NCA) in Bengaluru. However, there are clouds of uncertainties over whether he will be able to keep wickets.
"While the Centre of Excellence phyisos have been satisfied with Samson's ability to bat without any struggle, they would want to take a closer look at his comfort levels while wicketkeeping," says a report by PTI.
If Samson is not cleared to keep wickets, Dhruv Jurel can be the designated wicketkeeper for the team. Jurel was retained for a whopping Rs 14 crore by the franchise. There are no other wicketkeeper-batters in the squad.
Samson on meeting Dravid and working with him
Meanwhile, Samson is excited to work with former India head coach Rahul Dravid who has also captained RR. Samson recalled making his debut under the leadership of Dravid and how the legendary batter spotted him more than a decade ago.
"Rahul sir was the one who spotted me from the trials. He came up to me and said, 'Can you play for my team?' From there to now, with me being the captain of the franchise and he coming back - I'm very grateful, as we all are in the franchise, to have Rahul sir back. I have played under him [at RR] as a player when he was the captain and I have played under him in the Indian team when he was the coach. But a captain-coach relationship is very special and I'm very much looking forward to learning a lot from him," Samson told JioHotstar.
"He is a top-notch professional and makes sure everything is done properly. I was with him last month in Nagpur at RR's sports academy. From morning ten o'clock till evening five o'clock, he was standing in the heat, watching the batsmen bat and the bowlers bowl, interacting with them, discussing with the coaches. He is absolutely involved in each and everything. I think the preparation plays a huge role in his character and I think that's something I have to learn a bit more."
Royals will go up against Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their campaign opener on March 23 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
