The Rajasthan Royals (RR), commanded by Sanju Samson, had a formidable squad for the IPL 2023. Despite a strong start, they fell behind in the second half of the tournament and were eliminated from playoff contention. The defending champions finished second, and many believe they lost because they did not utilize the Impact Player rule effectively, made careless errors when the game was close, and Jos Buttler and manager Samson did not play well enough.
Samson concluded the 2023 IPL with 362 runs in 14 games, a strike rate of 153.38, and three fifty-plus scores. Samson has amassed a large following over the years, which includes a number of former cricketers. However, many believe he does not always exhibit his true talent and ability. In this year’s tournament, he won numerous times, but he was unable to maintain his success.
During the league phase of the IPL 2023, former India fast bowler S. Sreesanth stated that Little Master Sunil Gavaskar gave Samson some batting advice, but Samson stayed true to his own style. Sreesanth supported Samson, but told Star Sports he was dissatisfied with Samson’s response to Gavaskar.
“I like Sanju because he played for my 14-year-old team.” When I’ve seen him play cricket in the past four to five years, I’ve always encouraged him to excel in first-class cricket as well as the IPL. Repeat the same action numerous times. Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant were and remain ahead of him. Pant is currently absent, but he will return. I just met him, and he is confident that he can return in six to eight months.
“However, Sanju was dismissed in the first two or three games of this IPL. Gavaskar sir instructed him to bowl at least 10 balls. Review the small print. We know you have a great deal of aptitude because you can score 50 runs in 25 minutes despite having no runs after 12 balls. When RR lost one of their most recent league games, Sanju stated, “No, I only play like this because that’s my style.” Sresanth said, “I could not comprehend that.”
As Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are all injured and the ODI World Cup is only a few months away, Samson still has a chance of making India’s ODI selection. If he wishes to remain in India’s white-ball plans, he will need to be more dependable.