Rajasthan Royals would be entering the Indian Premier League 2021, with a new captain, new coach and newer possibilities. Sanju Samson, the leader of the Royals though is not afraid of taking on the challenge of captaincy and carrying a million Rajasthani dreams on his shoulders. Being a wicket-keeper batsman who is calm in the field and aggressive with bat, comparisons with legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni were natural.
However, Samson, 26, refused to be compared to the CSK skipper saying, “I don’t think anybody could be like MS Dhoni. I would like to be myself, Sanj Samson would be good enough.”
Talking about the opportunity to be coached by the legendary Sri Lankan skipper and wicket-keeper batsman Kumara Sangakkara, Kerala born said, “This is a dream come true and it was very exciting to know that I will be working so closely with a legend like Kumar Sangakkara.” “My first memory of Sanga is definitely his cover drive and I loved his batting,” he added.
Sanju was announced captain of the side s the team decided to let go of the former skipper Steve Smith and have a new beginning. Talking about the leadership challenge and how did he land the role, he said, “To be very honest, till last year, I didn’t possibly felt that I would be leading the Royals.” “Our lead owner Manoj Badale told me that our franchise wants me to lead the team and asked me to take up the role.”
Rajasthan open their IPL campaign against the Punjab Kings on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium.