'Sreesanth took me to trials. Dravid sir told me...': How Samson landed in RR by chance
Ahead of RR's away game against RCB, Samson recalled how he landed his first RR contract by impressing the legendary Rahul Dravid.
Sanju Samson has been a name synonymous with Rajasthan Royals. No player has appeared in as many IPL matches for Rajasthan Royals as Samson. No player has scored as many runs for Rajasthan in IPL as Samson. And he presently stands second in the list of most appearances as captain of RR in IPL after late great Shane Warne. However, his ongoing stint with Rajasthan is only his second. Before his two-season IPL contract with the Delhi franchise, Samson had previously played for Rajasthan before and ahead of the away game against RCB, Samson recalled how he landed his first RR contract by impressing the legendary Rahul Dravid.
In 2009, KKR had named a pool of players ahead of the IPL season that year and Samson was part of it. In 2012, he was signed by the franchise, but did not get an appearance before he moved to Rajasthan Royals in the next year where he made his IPL debut.
In a recent conversation with Star Sports, Samson revealed that he was taken for RR trials by veteran India cricketer Sreesanth, his Kerala teammate who had joined the franchise the same year as well.
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The India star revealed that under the watchful eyes of Dravid and Paddy Upton in the two-day trial, he produced a performance like no other. It was then that an impressed Dravid walked up to him to offer a chance to play for RR.
"Sreesanth took me to the RR trials. Dravid was there. Paddy Upton was there. I wasn't expecting much from the trials because I did not know what kind of players they were looking for. It was a two-day trial which however was very special as I have never batted like that ever again. Then Rahul sir came and told me, "You are definitely doing great. Would you like to play for RR?" That gave me a huge confidence given that it came from Rahul sir. If a legend like him says, 'I'm good enough', then I am good enough," he recalled.
Samson was part of the franchise for three seasons and following his stint with Delhi, returned to Rajasthan in 2018. He was later named as the skipper in 2021 and guided the team to their first IPL final last season since their triumphant run in 2008.
