Sanju Samson scored a defiant ton (119) which was not enough to see his team home in Rajasthan Royal’s opening game against Punjab Kings in IPL 2021. With 13 runs required to win in the final over, the Royals fell short by just four as the Kings managed to win a close encounter. Samson denying a single of the fifth delivery of the over then became the talking point at the end of the contest.
The Royals’ Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, has reacted to the controversy. Meanwhile, Chris Morris who was roped in by the franchise at a whopping 16.5 crores scored two runs off the four deliveries he faced.
Sanju Samson Backed Himself To Get The Job Done: Kumar Sangakkara
“I think Sanju backed himself to get the job done and he nearly did. He was five or six yards short of hitting the last ball for a six and sometimes when you know you’re hitting the ball well and you’re in form and you believe that you can do it, you’ve got to take that responsibility. And it was really encouraging to see Sanju do that” Sangakkara added.
Sanju Samson hit the fifth ball to the extra cover region but denied a single much to the shock of Chris Morris too. The South African all-rounder did not look too pleased with Sanju’s decision. Sangakkara, however, felt that Samson’s decision was right even though it didn’t produce the desired result.
“We can always talk about a missed single here or there but the crucial thing for me is the players’ belief in attitude and commitment and they know what their strengths are. And Sanju took it upon himself to finish that game and he just fell a few yards short. That happens, but the next time I’ll believe he’ll hit it that 10 yards further to win us the game,” Sangakkara said addressing the post-match press conference.
Also Read: IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings- ‘I Didn’t Stop Believing In The Team’ Who Said What?