Sanju Samson had been through a difficult phase in the previous 5-6 matches in the 13th season of the Indian Premier League. After starting the season with a bang for two straight fifties, Samson waned as questions arose about his consistency with the bat. He closed out the critics with another winning performance against the Mumbai Indians, where he led his side to victory with a rapid fire fifty.
Chasing a 196-run goal, Samson needed to shoot for RR. And he did that when he broke 54 31-ball runs. His entries consisted of 3 sixes and four limits. He has earned a lot of applause for his clean hitting the ball. Most of his innings consist of shots that end in the stands.
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Samson explained his six-hitting ability after the game against the Mumbai Indians.
“I kept believing in myself. When you play 14 games, you will have to go through ups and downs. I did some work on my game plan. On bigger grounds, on different grounds, you need to take more time, play more cricket shots, that was the difference I made today. It was amazing (hitting with Stokes). We’ve had a good time in the middle in the last three games, this was the best moment with him, I really enjoyed it, ”Samson told host broadcaster Star Sports in the post-match presentation.
“I wasn’t looking at how many runs we want or what the execution rate was. I was just reacting to the ball, my game plan is very simple, I just look at the ball and hit it if it’s there. If not, I take singles and doubles. I just kept it simple and finished it, I have seen some fun games in the past at IPL where matches have gone here and there. I wanted to be there until the end and luckily we did it today for the team.
“I gave myself some time, but at the same time I was looking for limits, I was trying few hits against Chahar but I couldn’t. The intention was there, I took 5-6 balls to get in and then I started showing intention. There is no method (to hit six), just look at the ball and hit it. By reminding myself what my name is, I think Samson is the strongest man in the world, I keep remembering that. I’m very strong and I can hit more sixes ”.
Stokes and Samson formed an undefeated 152-run partnership. With this victory, Rajasthan Royals have now moved to sixth place in the points table with 10 points, while the Mumbai Indians are still in first place with 14 points. For the 107 hit, Ben Stokes was awarded ‘Man of the Match’.
Samson said he gave himself time in between but was constantly looking for limits.
“I kept believing in myself. When you play 14 games, you will go through ups and downs. Different terrains, you play differently and that’s what I did today. The last 2-3 games that we spent time together, this game was the best, ”Samson told host broadcaster Star Sports in the post-match presentation.
“To be very honest, I was not looking at the required runs, I just reacted to the ball. My game is simple, I hit it if it’s there and I take singles and doubles otherwise. I gave myself time, but I was looking for limits ”, he added.
Rajasthan chased the 196 goal with eight wickets in hand and balls to spare. Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson played shots of 107 and 54 respectively. For the Mumbai Indians, James Pattinson returned with numbers 2-40.
The Royals will face the Kings XI Punjab at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on October 30.
(with ANI inputs)
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