IPL 2018: Sanju Samson receives praise from RR skipper Ajinkya Rahane

Back in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Rajasthan Royals (RR) had chased down a mammoth score of 217 runs against the Deccan Chargers- the highest chase to have been recorded in the history of the tournament. Ten years down the line, on Tuesday (April 15), Rajasthan set the same score as their first innings total, only to come out on top once again. The man instrumental behind this gargantuan total was none other than the young Sanju Samson!

Playing against a batting-heavy side as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the onus had been on RR to post a hefty total on the board in order to outfox the opposition and they did just that. Samson played a gem of an innings, scoring 92 runs off just 45 balls and remained unbeaten at the end of the innings. RR skipper, Ajinkya Rahane lavished praise on Samson for his exquisite knock.

Rahane lauds Sanju Samson

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rahane lauded the youngster heavily and expressed his admiration for the way Samson played throughout the innings. “Sanju is a great talent, good to have him in our team. He’s the future for India and we back him,” said the skipper. Samson’s knock was crucial in baffling Virat Kohli-led RCB as almost each of their bowlers got hit for boundaries, leaving them fumbling for options in the last leg of the innings.

Rahane also conceded that it feels good to have been able to emerge victorious against a side like RCB and said, “Feels good. We all know how dangerous RCB are. We were thinking of getting 160-170, the wicket was a bit slow. But the way Sanju batted was incredible. It was all about getting that one big partnership. The knee is better. Slight niggle but will be fine. Shreyas bowled really well. We know when you score 200-plus, opponents will come hard.”

On his part, Sanju Samson expressed his elation and said, “Feel very grateful to play this tournament for two months of the year. Playing an innings like this is a dream come true. I’m feeling good, hitting the ball well. Would like to keep up the form and win as many matches as I can. Whatever my team wants me to do, I’ll do it – whether it’s fielding or keeping.”

Rajasthan Royals ended up winning the match by 19 runs.

For all the latest cricket news and other details follow CricTracker.