Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson shared an intriguing story from his journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sanju Samson revealed that former pacer S Sreesanth lied to Rahul Dravid about him, which helped him get a chance with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the prestigious T20 tournament.
Sanju Samson was included in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ player pool ahead of the 2009 edition of the tournament. However, the Kerala cricketer joined the Kolkata team for the 2012 season. He never played a single match for the KKR, despite the talent of him. The wicketkeeper-batsman was released ahead of the 2013 season.
I wasn’t getting a look – Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson was eager to show off his skills after being freed by the Knight Riders. Samson revealed that Sreesanth told then RR captain Rahul Dravid that he smashed six sixes in one over in a local tournament.
“Being with KKR, they didn’t look at me. But during a match against RR, when [Rahul] Dravid was leading them, Sreesanth saw him in the hotel lobby and vouched for me. He told him, ‘There is a boy from Kerala who smashed six sixes in a local tournament. We should definitely give it a try,'” Samson recalled in a video shared widely on X (formerly Twitter).
Samson made his IPL debut for the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. The batsman scored 206 runs in 11 matches at an average of 25.75 and a strike rate of 115.73 during his first season. He has represented the Royals in 134 matches and scored 3596 runs at an average of 31.54 and a strike rate of 141.35.
The Kerala-born cricketer was named captain of RR ahead of the 2021 season. The Jaipur-based franchise reached the final for the first time under his captaincy since their maiden victory in 2008. The RR team is currently on top of the points table in the current IPL 2024 season.
Sanju Samson didn’t do very well in some practice games – S Sreesanth
In a conversation with SportsKeeda, S Sreesanth admitted to using lies to bring Sanju Samson into the Rajasthan Royals setup. Sreesanth recounted how he exaggerated Samson’s skills, claiming that he hit six sixes in a local tournament.
“Rahul bhai heard me when I introduced him to Sanju. I lied to him and said, ‘This boy hit me for six sixes in a local tournament’. Rahul bhai said, ‘Shree, kuch bhi bol, ye kyu bol raha’. Huh ?’ (Say anything, but why are you lying like this),” Sreesanth had said.
“He didn’t do very well in some practice games. But when Rahul bhai saw him bat, he was convinced; he came to me and said, ‘Sree, don’t let this guy Sanju go to any other team; we’re signing him . Whether he’ll get games or not, I don’t know, but we’d like to sign him.”
Sanju Samson has been included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the United States. The wicketkeeper-batsman got his call-up to the tournament after his consistent performances in the IPL.
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