Rahul Dravid's One Gesture That Changed Sanju Samson’s Life Forever

Akshita Patel

When Sanju Samson first met Rahul Dravid [Source: @rajasthanroyals/X.com]When Sanju Samson first met Rahul Dravid [Source: @rajasthanroyals/X.com]

Sanju Samson recently opened up about a life-changing moment in his cricket journey, and it all came down to a single question from Rahul Dravid. He revealed that as a teenager from Kerala, he went to trials for RR and was immediately offered a break by Dravid.

Samson made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals back in 2013. He joined DC for a couple of years in 2016 and 2017 when RR was banned, but returned to their fold in 2018 and has been associated with the Royals ever since. 

However, Samson’s love affair with the Royals dates back to his teenage years when he first appeared for trials supervised by legend Rahul Dravid.

Sanju Samson Recalls First Meeting With Rahul Dravid

Speaking with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Sanju Samson recalled his early encounters with the India legend Rahul Dravid. 

The first time he saw Dravid was as a 14-year-old at the National Cricket Academy. But the real turning point came three years later in 2012, when Sreesanth took the young Kerala batter to the Rajasthan Royals’ trials. 

“You must have also seen him (Dravid) at the NCA, he would play there and practice a lot. That was the first time I saw Rahul sir, when I was a 14-year-old, at the NCA. The second time was when Sreesanth bhai took me to the RR trials when I was 17, back in 2012. He used to take 5-7 cricketers from Kerala every single year for the trials and I was one of them. We used to play in the Ranji Trophy together, and in one of the matches, he (Sreesanth) came and saw that I wasn’t in the team."

Sreesanth had noticed Samson’s talent during a Ranji Trophy match. After seeing him score a hundred, the former pacer decided to take him to the trials, where Samson decided to give it everything. In front of Dravid, the teenager went all out, smashing sixes in the nets and impressing everyone. 

"He called the secretary and asked why I wasn’t part of the team. So, the next day, I fly to Kadapa to play a game against Andhra. Luckily, I scored a hundred there in front of him and he was like, ‘Okay, I will take you to the RR trials’." Rahul sir had heard about me through our Kerala coach, Sujith Somasundar."

Rahul Dravid, then captain of RR, was so impressed that after just two days, he walked up to Samson and offered an opportunity to play. 

"I was very excited and it gave me the boost to hit the first ball right out of the park. Then I started playing in the nets and was hitting sixes off every ball. Rahul sir was excited, saying, ‘Shot, Sanju!’. After two days of trial, he just came up to me and said, ‘Would you like to play for my team, Sanju?’ And I was like, ‘Just tell me the date, I will come running. I’ll even sponsor my own flight’."

That simple question was the start of Samson’s IPL career in 2013 under Dravid’s captaincy. Over the years, Samson grew into one of Rajasthan Royals’ biggest stars, eventually becoming their longest-serving captain and leading run-scorer.

Amid Trade Rumours, Samson Says RR Means A Lot To Him

Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals’ longest-serving player and leading run-scorer, has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the franchise amid swirling IPL 2026 trade rumours. Samson recalled how RR, under Rahul Dravid and Manoj Badale, trusted him from the start, giving a young boy from Kerala the platform to shine. 

"RR has meant the world to me. A small child coming from a village in Kerala, wanting to show his talent. And then Rahul (Dravid) sir and Manoj Badale sir gave me a stage to get up and show the world what I am made of. That time, they trusted me throughout. The journey with RR has been really great, and I’m very grateful to have been in a franchise like that. It really means a lot to me."

With 4,219 runs in 150 innings for RR since 2013, the skipper called his journey “really great” and said the Royals “mean the world” to him despite reports of a possible transfer.