IPL: Samson will miss Dravid but excited to work with Warne

JAIPUR: Sanju Samson still can’t forget the day when he came to Jaipur to give a trial for the Rajasthan Royals. It was in 2013, Samson was all of 18 then and Rahul Dravid made it special for the youngster.
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“I had played really well (during the trials) that day. That was the first time I met Rahul sir, he was taking the selections. He came and asked me, ‘can you play for Rajasthan Royals?’.That’s the best thing that has ever happened to me in cricket. I can never forget that day,” Samson told TOI here on Tuesday during the IPL team’s three-day camp as they get off to an early start. IPL 2018 begins on April 7.
As the blue brigade finally returns to Jaipur - they are scheduled to play seven games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium - after a gap of four years, a lot has changed. They have decided to go back to their roots and roped in Shane Warne, who was instrumental in making them the inaugural champions in 2018, as mentor. That news has thrilled Samson even if he is not the one to show emotion.
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“We’ll miss Rahul sir for sure. But we have had the best of him and looking forward to Shane Warne. I am very excited that he is a part of Royals. This will be my first experience with Warne. I have heard a lot about him, like how he is a straight-minded person and a positive thinker. How he contributes to the team and boosts youngsters’ confidence. I am waiting for his arrival,” an elated Samson said.
At the 2018 auctions, Royals made the most noise bringing in England’s Ben Stokes for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore and Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 11.5 crore, the two highest bids. Apart from them, Ajinkya Rahane, Australian captain Steve Smith and England’s Jos Butler will form the core of the side.