Sanju Samson started IPL 2021 with a brilliant century but once again his form has tapered off, with Rajasthan Royals losing two out of their first three games.
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There is a common trend that has emerged in the Indian Premier League. Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, has been a victim of this particular trend for the last couple of years. Samson starts the IPL brilliantly but fades away quickly. In IPL 2020, he hit a couple of blazing fifties but his form soon tapered away. Samson started with a magnificent century in IPL 2021 but in the last two games, his form has once again slid.
In the match against Chennai Super Kings, Samson fell for 1. Whenever Samson does well, Rajasthan Royals tend to do well. When he struggles, even the team struggles. Such is the impact that Samson has. In the post-match press conference, Samson tried to put on a brave face when explaining his inconsistency.
“It keeps on happening. In IPL, the tournament demands a lot of risk-taking. When I succeeded, I took risks. It depends on the game. I want to keep on playing my shots but am also accepting lots of failures. I will look to keep on contributing. Pressure to perform is consistently there. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t,” Samson said.
Chasing 189, Jos Buttler gave Rajasthan Royals a fast start. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali spun a web around the opposition as they lost four wickets for eight runs. Shivam Dube was promoted ahead of David Miller, who had starred in the game against Delhi Capitals. Samson explained the rationale in promoting Dube up the order.
“I think our batting is nicely set up. Shivam Dube plays spin and pace well. He is good at No.4 and strikes well. He has done well in the domestic season. We expect him to continue. David Miller is one of the best finishers of the game and we want him to bat at No.5,” Samson said.
However, Samson was surprised that the dew did not come in this game. But, he credited his bowlers for restricting Chennai Super Kings. “We never expected that (turn), the dew didn’t come and the ball was still turning, so it was a bit shocking to see. I thought it was a good score to chase down but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Our bowlers bowled really well, they batted too deep. 10-15 runs extra we gave down the line,” Samson said.
Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their next game. Rajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are currently on top of the table.
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