Sanju Samson was an elated captain after Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) thrilling three-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 7th match of IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (April 15).
WATCH: Sanju Samson’s one-handed screamer ends Shikhar Dhawan’s knock
Chasing 148 to win, RR lost half their side with 42 runs on the board before David Miller produced a special knock of 43-ball 62 to rescue them.
In the death-overs, all-rounder Chris Morris stepped up to the occasion, slamming 36 not out off 18 balls (4 sixes) to take Rajasthan over the line with two balls to spare.
It was Royals’ first victory in this edition of the IPL and Samson thought claiming a win would be tough when his side was reeling at 42/5.
"Had some hopes with Miller and Morris to come but to be really honest I thought that it was tough from there and I think the boys did really well to get over the line. It's about reading the conditions. Was a bit sticky to start with," Samson said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Hard lengths and mixing up with the variations was the key. That's also our strength - three left-armers. They are slightly different from the others so we can use them in a different way. We had a chat with Sakariya, he was very confident and very clear," he added.
Samson had denied Chris Morris a single in the first game when RR required five runs off the last two deliveries against Punjab Kings. The RR skipper then couldn’t take his team home as he got out on the last ball after playing a whirlwind knock of 63-ball 119.
In the second game, however, the South African all-rounder scripted Rajasthan’s victory even though they needed 27 runs off the last two overs.
Reflecting on his decision in the first game, Samson said: "Always sit back and review my game. If I play that match again 100 times I would not take the single."
Earlier, RR restricted DC to a modest 147/8 in 20 overs after opting to bowl first. Jaydev Unadkat returned with the brilliant figures of 3/15 in his four overs while Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets by conceding 29 runs.
Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their next game on Monday (April 19).
(With ANI inputs)
