Former England batter Kevin Pietersen lauded Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson for his outstanding knock (55* off 27 balls) against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which enabled the team to become the first in this year's IPL to successfully defend a score.
Sanju also bagged the Player of the Match award for his dominant performance. His inning was peppered with 3 boundaries and 5 maximums. RR was placed in a comfortable position after the opening stand of 58 runs.
At number three, in stepped the skipper, who pounced on SRH bowlers whenever they banged in short as he established his dominance.
Kevin Pietersen, in his column for Betway, said that Samson’s knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the best of the tournament so far.
"Samson's 55* was one of the knocks of the tournament so far, though. We know how competitive the fight for places in India's batting line-up is. You've already got established names like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and then there are a glut of younger guys all competing for the other spots," he said.
Ishan Kishan, Mayank Agarwal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer, among others, wowed the former England batter, who stated that Indian cricket is in strong and vibrant shape.
"Ishan Kishan has also started this competition brilliantly, while Mayank Agarwal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are all in the picture, too...Indian cricket looks in a...healthy spot now."
(WITH INDIA TODAY INPUTS)
