KL Rahul much better than Sanju Samson in terms of establishing himself in Indian team: Virender Sehwag

Rajasthan Royals will look to continue their winning run in IPL 2023 as they face Lucknow Super Giants in Match 26 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on April 19. The Sanju Samson-led side finally managed to beat Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their last game after three failed attempts in the 2022 season.

Ahead of their next fixture, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has issued a warning to the Royals, saying that LSG captain KL Rahul has returned to form with his 74-run knock against Punjab Kings. He further said that RR don’t have any other bowler other than Trent Boult who can give Rahul a tough time.

"KL Rahul is back in form. He scored runs in the previous match. Yes, his strike rate may not have met people's expectations, but his form is a great sign. Rajasthan doesn't have any other fast bowler apart from Trent Boult who has express pace or is very dangerous. They do have dangerous spinners, but if KL Rahul bats for long, he will surely take them apart," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

The former India opener further went on to call Rahul better than Samson as he has established himself in the Indian team scoring runs across all three formats.

"If you talk about establishing yourself in the Indian team, I believe KL Rahul is far better than Sanju Samson. He has played Test matches and scored hundreds in many countries. He has performed well in ODIs, both as an opener and in the middle order, and has also scored runs in T20 cricket," Sehwag added.

Rahul has amassed 155 runs in five innings at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 113 in the ongoing edition of the IPL. On the other hand, Samson has scored 157 runs in five innings at an average of 31.40 with two fifties to his name. The RR captain led from the front against the Titans, scoring 60 off 32 balls with the help of three fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 187.50. 

Samsons’ knock kept his side in the game after their poor start in the first ten overs, with Shimron Hetmyer taking the team home in the final overs. As far as international cricket is concerned, Samson has just played 11 ODIs, scoring 330 runs at an average of 66. He has also represented India in 17 T20Is, scoring 301 runs at an average of 20.06.