Sanju Samson is one of the batsmen who has shined in the challenging conditions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as he is one of the highest run-scorers this season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has helped Rajasthan Royals (RR) stay unbeaten in the tournament, so far.
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Samson has come to bat at number three in both the matches RR have played so far. He has scored 159 runs at a superb average of 79.50, including twin half-centuries. With a strike-rate of 214.86, he has interestingly hit just five fours, but 16 sixes.
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Meanwhile, speaking on his current form, Samson said that he was told by Indian skipper Virat Kohli to focus on his fitness. Kohli gave him insights on the same during a gym session while on Team India duty.
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“When I was in the gym with the Indian team, I was there with Virat bhai. I asked him what is his training routine and how he puts so much energy into fitness. I kept on asking him a lot of such different questions. Then he asked me ‘Sanju how many years are you going to play cricket’, so I said that I am 25 right now, and I can play for another 10 years or so," said Samson, as reported by India Today.
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“Then Virat told me, 'after 10 years you can do whatever, you can eat food from Kerala and whatever else you want to do, but you won’t be able to play cricket after these 10 years. So, why don’t you give everything, whatever you have, to cricket in these 10 years?' So, he really changed my perspective, my dedication towards cricket. I was already very dedicated, but this made me further change the way I think,” Samson added.
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Samson has been playing in the IPL since 2012, having scored 2,368 runs in 91 innings, at an average of 28.9, including a couple of centuries and 12 half-centuries. Overall, in T20s, he has scored 3,640 runs at an average of 27.78, including the two centuries and 23 half-centuries. However, he is yet to fire in T20Is, where he has scored just 35 runs in four innings.
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Currently, RR are atop the table and the only unbeaten team in the tournament this season. They take on former champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their next match in Dubai on Wednesday evening.
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