Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson isn’t too concerned about his low scores in the two last games and wants to keep on batting the way he loves to in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Samson started the tournament with a blistering knock of 63-ball 119 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) but failed to come good against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While the RR captain scored 4 (3 balls) versus DC, he made 1 (5 balls) against CSK.
"Yeah, actually it keeps on happening in this format of the game. I think IPL definitely demands a lot of risk-taking shots. And I said before when I succeeded, I took a lot of risks. That's why I scored a hundred. So, it depends actually on the day, the mindset you are coming with," Samson said during the post-match press conference after RR’s 45-run defeat at the hands of CSK on Monday (April 19).
"Actually, I don't want to restrict my shots, I want to keep on playing my shots and keep on batting the way I love to bat actually. So, I'm also accepting a lot of failures on the way. So, I am not at all worried about getting out, but at the same time, I will definitely look to keep on contributing to my team's victory in the coming matches."
According to Samson, it was normal to fail in a few games as IPL is a long tournament.
"Pressure to perform is always there. When you play IPL, pressure is always there. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail. I think IPL is a long format and you play 14 continuous matches, it is very normal to fail in a few matches.
"(But) it is always crucial to remember how good a team we are...So, we'll keep on coming back and keep on trying to win the coming matches," he said.
Chasing 189 to win, RR managed only 143/9 in 20 overs against CSK. It was a listless batting performance from the Royals as none of them except for Jos Buttler (49 off 35 balls) touched the 25-run mark.
Samson feels the chase would have been easy if dew had come in.
"Looking at the previous matches, we played here or which we watched on the TV, I think bowling first has more advantage than bowling second. So that's why we opted to bowl first and actually restricting CSK around 180 was really good work by our bowlers.
"I thought if the dew comes on and the wicket eases out a bit, it would have been an easy chase for us actually," he stated.
Commenting on the batting order, the RR captain backed the struggling Shivam Dube to come good at No. 4 position.
"I think our batting order is very nicely set up. I think Shivam Dube is someone who is good at playing spin and pace. I think No 4 really suits him. It depends upon the condition actually.
"I think he has definitely done really well in the domestic season and I feel he is really looking good and we expect a lot of runs from him in the coming matches. David Miller is a really great finisher and one of the greatest finishers in world cricket."
Rajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next game on Thursday (April 22) at the Wankhede Stadium.
(With PTI inputs)
