Sanju Samson with MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter/@rajasthanroyals)
Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson recently admitted about the challenges of strategising against one of the greatest finishers in the game, MS Dhoni. Samson acknowledged that when it comes to the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper, the RR think-tank simply gives up on making any plans.
When asked about which batter he finds the most difficult to plan for, Samson, without hesitation, named the former wicketkeeper-batter. The Kerala-born explained that while they plan for the opposing team’s entire batting order, Dhoni’s name is the one that makes them give up and move on to the next player.
“You cannot even think about Mahi bhai. We plan for everyone in the batting order but when Mahi bhai comes, we say it’s okay, let’s look at the next one. We cannot plan for him,” Samson told journalist Vimal Kumar.
Suryakumar Yadav is very transparent with me: Sanju Samson
Samson’s recent performances have got him a lot of praise from different quarters. In a recent T20I series against Bangladesh, the 29-year-old scored his maiden international century. His 111-run knock helped India seal the series 3-0. Samson also revealed a conversation with teammate Suryakumar Yadav, which had a significant impact on his approach.
“When I’m with the Indian team, it is usually for a small duration, so there is hardly any exchange of ideas. I never really got a chance to ask Surya, ‘What are you doing to be the best in the world in this format’. So during Delhi nets, that was the interaction I was having with him. That is what I wanted to know from him, ‘bata zara ki kya chal raha hai’ (Tell me what is going on?). And he was very transparent about it, he shared ideas with me, his ups and downs. Not just that, I also shared my story with him,” Samson added.