Sanju Samson Opens Up On His Batting With Ben Stokes

Mar 30, 2021 at 3:17 PM

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Sanju Samson Opens Up On His Batting With Ben Stokes

Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals captain revealed what he talks about with Ben Stokes when the two are batting together in the IPL.

Ahead of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) season, newly appointed Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson revealed the quality rapport he shares with his teammates in the franchise, especially with England’s Ben Stokes when they are batting together.

Sanju Samson in action during IPL 2020 | Sportzpics for BCCI
Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson in action during IPL 2020 | Sportzpics for BCCI

Sanju Samson Don’t Talk A Lot Of Sense While Batting With Ben Stokes

Sanju Samson answered several fan questions, with the video uploaded by the franchise on social media. He stated that when the duo is out in the middle together, they don’t really talk a lot of sense.

When asked what cricketers talk about after they hit a boundary, Samson said: “It can be anything. It depends on the partner you are batting with. So, if I am batting with Stokesy (Ben Stokes), I don’t think we talk a lot of sense there. We just smile about it and react like it was a great shot and then decide what to do next ball.”

Ben Stokes | Sportzpics / IPL / BCCI
Ben Stokes | Sportzpics / IPL / BCCI

The onus will also be on all-rounder Ben Stokes to deliver the goods, who was a part of England’s long tour of India across all three formats. In the eight matches he played during IPL 2020, he contributed by scoring 285 runs averaging 40.71, including an innings of 107 not out, but only picked two wickets. Ben Stokes scored 203 runs in 4 Tests, 135 runs in 3 ODIs, and 84 runs in 5 T20Is. He also picked 12 scalps across formats.

Ben Stokes made waves in his first season of the IPL when he was bought by the Rising Pune Supergiant(s) at a record price of INR 14.5 cr. An aggressive cricketer, he smashed an unbeaten 103 in his first season amassing 316 runs averaging 31.6 and returned with a best of 3/18 picking 12 scalps during his 12 matches for the former defunct franchise in IPL 2017, for which he won Most Valuable Player Of The Tournament.

Ben Stokes has the ability to take on the bowlers from the word go and can test batsmen with his disciplined bowling and he is the X factor that most teams yearn for. He however did not enjoy much success in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons and arrived late for IPL 2020 after the demise of his father, which didn’t help in the team’s run as they finished last.

Sanju Samson Excited And Looking Forward To Skip Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2021

After the departure of former skipper Steve Smith (to Delhi Capitals), Kerela batsman Sanju Samson will lead the franchise for the first time. He will be under immense pressure as he will have the responsibility of helping RR recover from their eighth-place finish last season. Sanju Samson, however, isn’t letting the weight of the occasion get to him and said he is raring to go.

“I am very much excited to do this role for my team. I started being a Royal when I was 18 and now I am 26, the team has given me this role, I am really excited and looking forward to it,” said Sanju Samson.

The 26-year-old had a decent campaign in the UAE. In 14 matches, he scored 375 runs at a strike-rate of 158.89. He smashed three fifties and his highest score was 85.

England's Jofra Archer | Source: Twitter
Jofra Archer | Source: Twitter

If RR is to recover from last season’s debacle, they will need their main players to be firing from game 1. The Rajasthan outfit will begin their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on April 12. Jofra Archer who was the Most Valuable Player Of The Tournament in IPL 2020 may miss the entire IPL 2021 which is a cause of concern for the franchise.

Rajasthan Royals finished last season at the bottom of the table with 12 points from their 14 matches. At the auction, Rajasthan Royals went big, spending Rs 24.20 crore on buying players. South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris was snapped up by the franchise at Rs 16.25 crore, becoming the most expensive player in the history of the league.

They spent Rs 4.4 crore on Shivam Dube while Chetan Sakariya (Rs 1.2 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 1 crore), Liam Livingstone (Rs 75 lakh), KC Cariappa (Rs 20 lakh), Kuldip Yadav (Rs 20 lakh), Akash Singh (Rs20 lakh) will also feature for the team this season. Regular skipper Steve Smith was released by the Rajasthan Royals franchise ahead of the IPL 2021 auction.

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