The Rajasthan Royals have relied heavily on Sanju Samson during the last three Indian Premier League seasons. The 28-year-old has participated in the most games for the team and scored the most runs for them in IPL history. After the great Shane Warne, Sanju Samson has also participated in the second-highest number of games as the Royals’ captain.
With the Kolkata Knight Riders, he began his IPL career in 2012; however, the wicketkeeper batsman was inactive for the entire season. The next year, the Rajasthan Royals eventually acquired his services, and he made his IPL debut while playing for them. The cricketer from Kerala recently shared the intriguing tale that led to the Royals signing him.
He revealed that his Kerala colleague and former India cricketer S. Sreesanth drove him to the RR trials. Samson added that Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton had been keeping an eye on his performance during the tryout.
Sreesanth took me to the RR trials. There was David. And there was Paddy Upton. Considering that I had no idea what kind of players they were searching for, I had low expectations for the trials. It was a two-day trial, but it was quite noteworthy since I’ve never batted like that before, Sanju Samson stated on Star Sports.
I am competent if a legend like Rahul Dravid declares that I am: Sanju Samson
The 28-year-old also talked about the unforgettable moment when Dravid offered him a contract to play for Rajasthan and how Dravid’s encouragement boosted his self-confidence.
“Rahul sir then arrived and informed me, ‘You are doing fantastic. Are you interested in playing for RR? Given that it came from Rahul, sir, that gave me a great deal of trust. I am good enough if a legend like him says so,” he went on to say.
After playing with RR from 2013 to 2015, Samson signed with Delhi for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In 2018, he visited Rajasthan once more, and he has been associated with the team since then. For the first time since their successful campaign in 2008, the wicketkeeper-batter who was given the captaincy of the team in 2021 guided them to the final.
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