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Cricket Players'I heard Rahul Dravid say, 'What a shot'. My heart was beating on another level': India batter recalls 'magical' day
IPL 2022: The great Rahul Dravid has played a huge role in giving Indian cricket its next generation of players, one of whom recalled the day the former India captain spotted him and was impressed by his strokeplay.
The great Rahul Dravid has played a huge role in giving Indian cricket its next generation of players. Almost all the captain in the ongoing edition of the IPL - Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and more have had their careers shaped by Dravid at certain points. Before becoming the head coach of the Indian team, Dravid spent years coaching the India A and Under-18 set-ups, where Dravid helped several youngsters find their feet. From winning multiple A tours and guiding India to the Under-19 World Cup in 2018, Dravid has been instrumental in making sure that the next generation of Indian cricket is in safe and reliable hands. (Also Read: 'Shami said Mohsin is better bowler than him' - Coach reveals interesting chat between rising LSG pacer and India star)
One of the many youngsters that grew under Dravid's tutelage is Samson. The India batter and captain of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals recalled his early days, when he was able to grab Dravid's attention. In fact, it was in 2013 when Dravid spotted a then 18-year-old Samson to come and play for RR, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"That day, my heart was beating on another level. That day was one of the most special moments of my life. Never before or after, have I batted the way I did on those 2 days. I hit the ball and I heard would hear him (Rahul Dravid) say from behind 'What a shot. Shot Sanju'. That kept pumping me up. It was magical, really special. Even before the trial, he said to me, 'I know you're doing well in domestic circuit, very excited to see you'," Samson told actor, sports presenter Gaurav Kapur on his famous YouTube show 'Breakfast with Champions'.
The same year, Samson became the youngest player to score an IPL fifty but more importantly, got an opportunity to bat with his idol.
"I never thought I would bat with Rahul Dravid. So in the first game I played, I went one down and Rahul sir was opening. I knew they had sent me to hit, so I went and hit the first ball for four. Rahul sir walked up to me and said, ‘Sanju… take your time. Take a couple of balls and then see what you can do’. I said 'Yes sir'. The next ball was a bouncer, I subconsciously pulled it and it went for four. Sir came over and said 'Keep going, keep going'," Samson mentioned.
Later when Dravid moved to Delhi Capitals, Samson narrated another interaction which has stayed with him till date.
"We always had one eye on Rahul Dravid. When he became the coach of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). I was there, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant were all there as well. We all had that kind of experience with Rahul Dravid, to learn from him. I remember telling all of us 'I think all of you will play for India one day'. That was very special for all of us," said the RR captain.
