Back in 2012, Sanju Samson, then 17 was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad which went on to win the maiden trophy. Next year, he was signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) where he made a name for himself and soon became an indispensable member of their playing XI.
After spending three seasons with RR, he moved on to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) after RR was banned for two years, only to be bought again by the Rajasthan-based side in 2018 which Sanju will be leading for the 2021 season.
Samson who is eagerly waiting for the RR campaign to kickstart as he will lead his side for the first time in six seasons of his association with the franchise, he stressed on the significance of his captaincy in giving confidence to his teammates.
“You're a captain when you are fielding. When you are batting, there are specific roles given to everyone and you just need to do the same role. You don't have to allow captaincy to come into your head while you are batting,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
When asked if he was ready to take up the captaincy, Sanju said, “If you had asked me the question two years ago or if you would have given me this role two years ago, I would have said, no, I need some more time, I'm figuring out my own game. But now I feel that I'm mature enough to handle my own game and handle this role. So I feel that I'm ready to do this.”
“I like to carry everyone with me. I am not the kind of leader who will stand up tall and say that this is what we need to do, or this is what I want everyone to do. I am very much flexible in understanding people. I understand that people are different, and they have their different mindsets and characters, but at the same time, I need everyone with me,” he added.
RR will kickoff their IPL 2021 campaign on April 12 when they lock horns with KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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