RR camp does not look too happy with Sanju Samson being given the captaincy: Virender Sehwag

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise has had a rollercoaster ride in the IPL 2021 edition. After losing a last-ball thriller against Punjab Kings (PBKS) by four runs in what was their tournament opener, RR did defeat Delhi Capitals to get back to winning ways but soon slipped to two back-to-back losses before turning the tides in match 18 of the ongoing season, where they handed a six-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and changed places with them to go the 6th spot on the table.

While Sanju Samson-led RR continues to remain in the race for the playoffs, the 2008 champions have quite a few areas of concern and they need to be on top of their game as a crucial phase of the tournament arrives.

The Royals have also been blown by injuries to major overseas players as they have lost Ben Stokes for the entire tournament, while ace pacer Jofra Archer is also set to miss the whole of the IPL 2021 as per medical advice.

RR looks like eleven individuals, not a team

While sharing his view on Cricbuzz, former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha stated that he feels that Rajasthan Royals are 11 individuals on the field, rather than a team.

Agreeing with him, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, opined, “Shayad baaki players khush na ho ki inko captain kyu banaya hai…Lekin yeh baat fact ha ki ek player agar apne mein hi rehta hai aur usko captain bana deta hai, toh usse bhi time lagta hai sabse milne mein, jhulne mein.

“Jab bowler pittayi khaata hai na, toh captain ko kuch nai bolna chahiye, bas jaaye aur uske kandey pe haath rakhke bole ‘koi baat nai, kuch nai hota’…Yeh maine Rishabh Pant mein dekha hai. Tab bowler ko confidence aata hai ki captain ko mujhpe bharosa hai…Captain ko jaake baat karni chahiye, result kuch bhi aaye. Even jab koi batsman run nai bana raha ho. Foreign players bhi RR ke bahut baat nai karte aapas mein…Toh woh ek team nai lag rahe hain.”

[Maybe other players in the RR camp aren’t happy with Samson being given the captaincy. If a player remains at peace with himself and is suddenly made captain, then even he takes time to settle down, know his players inside out. But when a bowler is getting hammered, the captain shouldn’t say anything. He should only go and comfort him. I have seen Rishabh Pant doing this. This way the captain instills confidence in the bowler. The same goes for the struggling batsmen too. Even the foreign players in the RR dugout don’t seem to communicate so much within, and they do not look like a team].