Sanju Samson may not be a regular member in the Indian team but his popularity knows no bounds. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper has one of the most loyal fanbases in sport. Samson has often received the loudest cheers from the stands both home and abroad when he is on the field.
It has now emerged that support for the wicket-keeper batter is not just limited to cricket. The ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup has seen fans turn upto stadiums across Qatar in multiple matches with banners and posters in support of the Kerala-based cricketer.
Samson is widely rated as among the most talented young batters in India at the moment especially in white-ball cricket. The 28-year-old has played a total of 11 ODIs and 16 T20Is for the Men in Blue so far in his career. While Samson’s opportunities for the national team have been limited, he has been a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals (RR) since 2013. He also played for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2016 and 2017 when RR was suspended.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Samson was named RR’s captain. In 2022, he led the inaugural champions to their first final since 2008 in which they were beaten by Gujarat Titans in a memorable clash at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
Talking about Samson, he was left out of India’s playing XI for the second ODI against New Zealand on Sunday despite his excellent form in the 50-over format. Skipper Dhawan justified the decision by stating that India needed a 6th bowling option and hence Samson had to make way. Earlier, Samson did not feature in any of the three T20Is with skipper Hardik saying that Samson had to miss out due to ‘strategic reason’ but promised that he will get a long run of games soon.
