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IPL 2021: Sanju Samson says captaincy is more of a service to the team

Aryasekhar Chakraborty

Newly appointed Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson is looking forward to his first stint as a captain in the Indian Premier League. He will be leading the Rajasthan Royals when the IPL extravaganza kicks off on 9th April. Even before being formally named the captain of Rajasthan Royals, Samson knew that he was going to be named the new skipper. He couldn’t hold back his excitement and promptly shared the news with his parents and wife Charu.

“It was tough keeping it to myself,”. Following his official announcement, he got congratulatory tweets from some of the greats of the game. “I got some nice congratulatory messages from Virat Bhai, Rohit Bhai and Mahi Bhai,” Samson told Hindustan Times.

Samson stated that captaincy to him is more of a service to the team. The swashbuckling batsman has the experience of captaincy and had led Kerala and it’s U-19 team earlier. Speaking on the leadership experience, Samson said it’s more about man-management skills and how you deal with a certain individual and try to get the best out of him. 

“I look at captaincy as more of a service to the team. A captain is someone who is there to provide the right kind of atmosphere that every individual requires in a team and backs each one of them. It’s a lot about man-management skills—giving positive feedback to your players, understanding where they are coming from. The fact that my team and the franchise trust me to do this job gives great confidence that there is something in me."

Stating that he is in a comfortable space he said, "I firmly believe that a captain is only good if the team is good. The Royals have a quality bunch of great players and amazing support staff backing them. I’ve known most of them for years; they are like family. So, I’m in a comfortable space with the people I have around me. I have been part of the Royals from my teen days in 2013. Playing for one team for this long to now becoming captain, it’s a proud moment."

Ever since their historic win in the inaugural edition of the competition way back in 2008, Rajasthan Royals have been one of those very few teams who have consistently languished at the bottom half of the table. Even in the last season, RR finished at the bottom of the points table despite having a strong team in their arsenal. Despite finishing last in the previous season, Samson feels they didn’t do much wrong and will hoping for a turnaround in the upcoming season. 

“I don't think we did too much wrong in the last season. If you look at our XI on paper, we're one of the best. So I would like to tell everyone that we are a great bunch of players and we just need to play some good cricket. If we are in the right mindset as a team, I believe good things are ahead of us. This format demands a lot of fearless cricket, be it in batting, bowling or fielding. It's all about speed, power and expressing yourself. That's what I expect from my team.”

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