He talks like he bats - crisp and bang on! Doesn't shy away from the good ones and carries about himself in a manner that says 'I know what I'm doing'. Rajasthan Royals' Sanju Samson might be 19 but his conduct both on and off the field has a matured outlook. He talks to the point and mentions no grand plans of the future.
IPL brought him to the limelight, much before he made an impact in first-class cricket. Often compared to his mentor Rahul Dravid, he tries and lives upto the expectations of the legend. His 41-ball 63 against RCB in IPL 2013 was much talked about and is looked at as the announcement of the arrival of Sanju Viswanath Samson.
The performance of Samson, who scored a 34-ball 52, along with skipper Shane Watson's half century, helped Royals get to a more-than-decent total of 191 against the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. But as the results showed, nothing is enough onboard in a T20 match.
"The wicket was supportive to the batsmen and the match was always alive even after getting 190-plus on the board." Samson told the official IPL site. "It was that kind of day for our opposition when everything went their way, and credit to them for the way they played.
"I have always loved to play for Rajasthan Royals and I am very happy that I contributed from my end to help the team get to a formidable total. But it hurts that we lost the match after playing so well."
Having been part of the U-19 teams in the Asia Cup and the World Cup, apart from playing for the Kerala Ranji team, Samson has enough experience already to adjust to the conditions and bowlers.
"I played many matches here in the UAE in under-19 tournaments," Samson said. "I played the Asia Cup and World Cup here and knew the wickets well. That experience really helped me to be in good touch ahead of the IPL."
The young and promising batsman knows that there's no easy way to make it to the national team. Each time he walks up to the 22 yards, he knows he has to stand up and perform. So, what are his plans this IPL season and his cricketing future in general?
"This year, I want to finish more games for the Rajasthan Royals," Samson says. "I want to play according to my game plan. I have been successful in doing that so far. I am playing according to the opposition and choosing the bowlers that I want to attack.
"I do not like to set goals. I only react according to the situation and I am happy with the way I am playing at the moment."
(Ed: VP)
