Rajasthan Royals will not miss Rahul Dravid: Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson of India bats during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2014 match between India and Pakistan at the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium on February 15, 2014 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Indian young sensation Sanju Samson has said that Rajasthan Royals will not miss the services of Rahul Dravid, who captained the side in the last two editions. The 19-year-old, who became the youngest player to be retained by an IPL franchise, when Rajasthan Royals did so earlier this year ahead of the 2014 IPL auctions, is confident of learning as much as possible from the legendary Indian batsman, though.

Speaking to Cricketnext before leaving for the first leg of IPL 7 to be held in the United Arab Emirates, Samson said: “No, Rahul sir will not be missed. I know he will not be there as a captain, but we will have him around as a mentor. He is my idol. I have learnt a lot from him. He will be in a different role altogether but I will try to continue to learn as much as I can [from Dravid].”

Dravid will be a part of the Royals think-tank this time around, acting as a mentor. Dravid took the cricketing world by surprise when he captained the Jaipur-based franchise with his aggressive and innovative methods. The way he led was one of the reasons why the Royals went as far as the knock-out rounds in the last edition.

Samson also recalled what he considers the most memorable day of his life, which happened after he was declared the Man-of-the-Match for his match-winning 63 off 41 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore: Rahul Dravid presenting him a bat.

Dravid also left a comment, which the youngster was quick to add: “Sanju, you have a fearless batting style. You play really well. Just be focused and play your natural game. All the best.”