[Watch] "He is equally special" - R Ashwin draws comparison between Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2022 

Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowler Ravichandran Ashwin feels Sanju Samson is as talented as Rohit Sharma in terms of batting prowess. The 35-year-old said that he's an admirer of Samson's batting style.

The Rajasthan Royals captain has impressed with his eye-catching strokeplay since his Under-19 days. Samson's affinity for pull shots and clean hitting has elicited comparisons with Rohit Sharma. However, he has struggled for consistency at the highest level.

In an interaction with Rajasthan Royals' social media handles, Ashwin said:

"I've always been stunned to a degree to see how Sanju bats. I used to be a fan of Rohit. We played along with each other, and Rohit is a special player, and Sanju is equally special, I think. And it's just that he's not really broken those barriers at the international level yet. I think it's only a matter of time, though."

Team India captain Rohit Sharma praised Samson for his talent and potential after the latter earned a recall to the side for the home series against Sri Lanka last month.

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"He does not even call me by my name; he just calls me Anna" - R Ashwin on his relationship with Samson

The Rajasthan Royals duo share many cultural similarities, coming from two neighbouring Southern states (Samson - Kerala, Ashwin - Tamil Nadu). Ashwin will now play under Samson in the upcoming IPL 2022.

He feels that their common love for Tollywood has helped them connect easily and well. The off-spinner elaborated in this regard:

"It's been, one of, you know, sort of a younger brother-elder brother sort of a feeling. Sanju is someone who loves, we connect at a more basic level I think. Sanju is someone who watches. I come from Tamil Nadu and he comes from Kerala; he watches a lot of Tamil movies and is a big movie buff, so am I. We start connecting from there. As a South Indian, if you connect with movies, you don't need a connection than that."

Ashwin concluded:

"Sanju is someone, who's had, always you know, had good conversations around me. He does not even call me by my name, he just calls me Anna; which means elder brother. So that's the sort of respect, the mutual respect we have."

The new-look Rajasthan Royals team will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MCA Stadium in Pune on March 29.