In the ongoing IPL 2024, under Sanju Samson‘s leadership, Rajasthan Royals (RR) clinched a convincing nine-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday, April 22.
Rajasthan successfully chased down the 180-run target in 18.4 overs, led by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 104. Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler also made significant contributions, scoring 38* and 35 runs respectively.
After the game, ex-spinner Harbhajan Singh praised Sanju Samson, suggesting that the wicketkeeper-batsman has earned a spot in India’s squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. The former cricketer, now a commentator, also recommended grooming Samson as a potential future captain of the Indian team.
Harbhajan posted on the microblogging platform X:
“Yashasvi Jaiswal’s knock is a proof of class is permanent . Form is temporary @ybj_19 and there shouldn’t be any debate about Keepar batsman . @IamSanjuSamson should walks in to the Indian team for T20 worldcup and also groomed as a next T20 captain for india after rohit . koi shak ???
https://x.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1782478603248337359?s=46
Sanju Samson’s leadership in IPL 2024 has garnered widespread acclaim. Rajasthan has suffered only one defeat in their initial eight matches and currently holds the top position in the standings.
Additionally, Samson has impressed with his batting performance, ranking as RR’s second-highest run-scorer this season, accumulating 314 runs from eight games at a strike rate of 152.42.
“The way we came back was where we won the game” -Samson remarked on RR’s comeback in the latter part of MI’s innings
Asked to bowl first, RR made an impressive start by taking three wickets in the powerplay. Despite MI’s top-order batsmen falling early, Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera stabilized the innings with a 99-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Sanju Samson expressed his belief that Rajasthan secured the victory by rebounding after the partnership. He also highlighted that the pitch became more favorable for batting in the latter part of the match.
In the post-match presentation, Samson stated:
“Credit has to go to all the players. Started well in the powerplay. In the middle, the left-handers played unbelievably. But the way we came back was where we won the game. Wicket looked a bit dry. But when lights come in, gets colder in the night, it gets better to bat in the second innings.”
Next, Rajasthan will face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, April 27th.
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