"Sunil Gavaskar Sir Told Him..., Sanju Samson Said No": S Sreesanth Reveals Startling Tale
Sanju Samson had a topsy-turvy IPL 2023 campaign as Rajasthan Royals failed to qualify for playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson remains one of the most popular Indian players of his generation. Though Samson hasn't been able to cement his spot in the Indian team in any of the three formats, he remains a player who has struggled to hit his full potential. Seeing the wicket-keeper batter struggle for consistentency in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, even Sunil Gavaskar got in touch with Samson, lending him important advice. As per S Sreesanth, however, Samson refused to do what Gavaskar had told him.
"Gavaskar sir told him, 'give yourself at least 10 balls. Read the wicket. We know you have a lot of talent, even if you have 0 runs in 12 balls, you can score 50 in 25'. When RR lost in one of their last matches in the league phase, Sanju said, 'no, my style is to play like this only. I couldn't digest that'," Sreesanth told Star Sports, as per Indian Express.
Sreesanth further revealed that Samson is hopeful of making a comeback into the Indian team in the next 6-8 monthsÂ
"I support Sanju. In the past 4-5 years, when I see him as a cricketer, I've always told him to perform in first-class cricket, not just IPL. Produce consistent performances. Ishan Kishan, and Rishabh Pant - both were and still are ahead of him. Pant is not there, but he will make a comeback. I met him recently, he firmly believes he can come back within 6 to 8 months.
"But in this IPL, the way Sanju got out in 2-3 matches straight...," Sreesanth said as he expressed his disappointment at Samson's form.
In the IPL 2023 season, Samson scored 362 runs in 14 matches at an average of 30.17 and a strike-rate of 153.38.
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson
Sunil Gavaskar