"Have been talking about it before the season" - Sanju Samson on Ravichandran Ashwin's retired out vs LSG

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has thrown light on Ravichandran Ashwin getting tactically retired out against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday evening.

Ashwin stunned everyone as he walked off after two balls of the 19th over, having scored 28 runs off 23 balls. The move was intended to allow Riyan Parag to launch some big blows and help the Rajasthan franchise finish on a high. Parag ended up scoring eight off four balls to propel RR to a score of 165.

Weighing in on the move, Sanju Samson revealed that they have had discussions about it before the start of the season. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Sanju said:

"It's about being Rajasthan Royals - we keep on doing something different (laughs). We talked about it before the season and thought that if a situation occurs, why not use it."

The move did come in handy as those extra few runs in the last over made all the difference as Lucknow ended up falling three runs short of the Rajasthan's score.

Meanwhile, it was also Shimron Hetmyer's breathtaking knock that powered Rajasthan to a challenging total. Hetmyer made Lucknow pay for a dropped catch, scoring an unbeaten 59 of 36 deliveries. The southpaw scored 38 runs off the last 11 deliveries to change the complexion of the game.

Highlighting the nature of the conversation between him and Hetmyer, Sanju revealed:

"Conversations (with Hetmyer) are, has he eaten and slept well, that's it (laughs). Not much to converse about, he knows what to do."

The 24-year-old West Indian cricketer has been in superlative form for Rajasthan, chipping in with telling contributions in the middle order.

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"I think he'll be a special talent for India" - Sanju Samson on debutant Kuldeep Sen

Throwing the ball to a debutant with 15 required off the last six deliveries requires courage. The bowler in this case, Kuldeep Sen managed to get the job done on this occasion. The 25-year-old cricketer from Madhya Pradesh showed nerves of steel, hitting the right line and length to win it for his side.

Praising the young pacer, Sanju Samson revealed that he was aware of his skills given that he has seen him bowl in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 28-year-old added:

"It depended upon how he bowled in the first three overs. I got the intuition and feel that he's confident to bowl his wide yorkers which he was practicing in the nets. I saw him bowl those wide yorkers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and then RR picked him up. I think he'll be a special talent for India."

However, it was Yuzvendra Chahal who set up the win with a four-wicket haul. Sanju stressed that Rajasthan rely heavily on Chahal and Ashwin in the middle overs. Sanju Samson concluded by saying:

"Chahal is someone who can be given the ball from over 1 to 20. I think he's the greatest leg-spinner India has seen presently. His overs and Ashwin's four overs in the middle are crucial for us and I thought why not use him towards the end when the pressure is more."

With this victory, Rajasthan Royals have toppled Kolkata Knight Riders to be at the top spot with six points in four matches in the IPL points table 2022.