Sanju Samson asserts that the responsibility of captaincy doesn’t affect his batting approach

Sanju Samson is one of the most explosive batsmen in the Indian Premier League. The enigmatic batsman has three centuries in his IPL career already. The year 2021 has proved to be special for the man from Kerala who was appointed as the captain of his franchise Rajasthan Royals following the departure of former captain Steve Smith.

Although he’s among the lesser illustrious names in the squad in the presence of superstars like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, Samson has reiterated that he doesn’t feel any extra pressure as a senior member of the side. Both Stokes and Buttler will be notable absentees for Royals when the second leg of the IPL resumes in UAE, but the 26-year-old is confident that the side will do well.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Samson said that he isn’t too worried about the lack of experience in the batting order. Everything takes care of itself when it’s on the pitch.

“Once you are inside the ground, there are situations to deal with, there are bowlers to deal with. If there is a bowler you have to hit out of the park, you have to hit him out of the park. I am not going to think about who is going to come up next or if I get out, what’s going to happen. The risk is very high in this format, so at the same time, the reward is also very nice.”

Sanju Samson is of the opinion that T20 cricket is high risk-high reward and he’s always relished the challenges of facing the risks head-on. Captaincy hasn’t changed his approach when it comes to batting and Samson will continue to take on the bowlers whenever he senses an opportunity.

“I think the risk is worth taking, my game has been the same, it should remain the same actually. The captaincy should never change the way I play. I would like to go out and dominate few matches, I might get out and I might win few matches, so that’s as simple as that.”

Beyond the regulars, Samson also thinks about the players who don’t get much game-time over the course of a season. He says that it is important to keep everyone in the dressing room happy and keep the spirit of the side up.

“I very honestly tell them about our plans as a team when they are expected to play and when they are not expected to play. I think 13-14 players don’t end up playing any games. So the atmosphere really plays a huge role. The players who are not playing, have to be happy, they have to be treated equally among the players who are playing,” Sanju Samson said.