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Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara reserved high praise for skipper Sanju Samson following the side's 32-run victory against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Jaipur on Friday, April 28.
The result helped RR displace CSK at the top of the points table with five wins in eight matches. Winning the toss and batting first, the Royals got off to a sensational start thanks to a scintillating knock of 77 from 43 deliveries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and an opening partnership of 84 for the first wicket off just 50 balls.
Skipper Samson came in at the fall of the first wicket and showed aggressive intent despite making just a run-a-ball 17. Though the middle-order struggled, RR ended up with a towering total of 202-5 in their 20 overs, thanks to a late flourish by Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal.
Addressing the team in the dressing room post an emphatic victory, head coach Sangakkara was effusive in his praise for Samson's intent and unselfish play for the team.
He said:
"Skipper, thank you for going in , I think when you watch Sanju bat, one of the things and Jos has made this observation before, is that he always plays for the side. It's not about the but it's about how he scores those. He showed the intent, he led by example. So I thought irrespective of the runs , the tone you set and the example you set is great for the rest of the side to follow."
The Royals' bowlers ensured that their batting efforts did not go to waste as the pacers set the tone in the powerplay with incisive lines and lengths, after which the spinners picked up wickets at regular wickets to restrict CSK's strong batting lineup to a meager 170-6 in their 20 overs.
"I took the chance to bat first " - RR skipper Sanju Samson after win against CSK
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson was full of praise for the youngsters and their attacking mindset with the bat after the 32-run victory against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Jaipur on April 27.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal played crucial attacking knocks to help RR reach an above-par total of 202-5 in their 20 overs.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Sanju justified his decision to bat first. He said:
"Winning this game was needed for the team atmosphere and for the fans, also our first win in Jaipur. We can't go one dimensional; if you're playing in Chinnaswamy or Wankhede, you will chase but looking at the conditions here, I took the chance to bat first."
He credited the youngsters for their batting at different stages in the innings by saying:
"Even when we batted, all the youngsters came in and did the job. The mindset of attacking is a nice change. Credit has to go to the management and the support staff for what players are doing, you see Jaiswal at the RR academy during the off-season playing a lot of balls."
Samson has been inconsistent with the bat this season, scoring 198 runs in eight matches at an average of 24.75. However, he has shown intent with a strike rate above 150 to ensure keeping up the momentum provided by the openers.
The Royals will now travel to Mumbai to take on the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 30.
