‘I just always wanted to be special’: Sanju Samson reminisces journey ahead of IPL 2024

The latest edition of ‘Star Nahi Far’ held in Kochi witnessed the fan favourite, Sanju, interact and meet over 2000 students and engage them in candid conversations before the Star joins Rajasthan Royals camp.

Ahead of the TATA IPL 2024 season, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson shared insights into his journey with the franchise and his approach to leadership.

“I think that happened before this season. I think we were playing in Dubai, and our lead owner, Manoj Badale, came up to me and asked whether I’m ready to lead the side. I said I am ready. So that was it, it was as simple as that, and I felt like I’ve played enough number of matches and I’ve spent enough time in this franchise to know that I can do that role, and I was confident that I could do it. And I was very happy that things are going good,” Samson said in the programme.

Samson emphasized his desire to stand out through his batting style and performance. He revealed a shift in mindset towards adopting a more aggressive approach, aiming to unleash power strokes from the outset of his innings.

“I think when you are playing cricket in the world’s best country, which I think is number 1 in the whole world, I think the number of players who play and the number of talent we have and the level of competition which we have, a guy from Kerala, if he has to come and cement his place in the national side, he has to do something special, so I just always wanted to be special. I always wanted to stand out with the way I bat. I just wanted to create my own style of batting and no matter even if it was the first ball, I just want to go out there and hit a six.

“I was putting lots and lots of effort and time and I think a lot of people helped me, lots of things goes behind the scenes which only I only know and my close people know so I’m very happy that things are coming on nice and as you know the grind keeps on going. Actually, I’m never satisfied I want to keep on and go on doing something spectacular for the side I play for,” he concluded.