IPL 2021: “Very normal to fail in a few matches” - Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has said that he is not too worried about the team losing a couple of games, as the IPL is a long tournament.

RR were trounced by 45 runs in their IPL 2021 encounter against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai on Monday. This was their second loss in three matches in the tournament. However, Sanju Samson is not losing sleep over the team’s below-par show in the competition so far.

Speaking at a virtual press conference following RR’s loss to CSK, Sanju Samson said in this regard:

“IPL is a long format. You play 14 continuous matches, and it is very normal to fail in a few matches. It is very important to understand that we have quality players in our line-up. It is always crucial to remember how good a player is or how good a team we are. We will keep on coming back and keep on trying to win the coming matches.”

RR won the toss in the match and inserted CSK into bat. After the three-time champions posted 188 for 9, RR were cruising at 87 for 2. However, the wicket of Jos Buttler (49), bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, spun the match in CSK’s favour, as RR collapsed to 95 for 7 in a matter of minutes.

Not our night. #HallaBol | #CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/d2NFLmzIUG

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 19, 2021

Was a bit shocking to see the ball turning: Sanju Samson

Jos Buttler is bowled by Ravindra Jadeja. Pic: IPLT20.COM

While RR seemed to be in control of their chase in the first half of their innings, things derailed quickly once the ball started to turn. Jadeja and Moeen Ali combined to pick up five quick wickets to make the result a foregone conclusion.

At the post-match conference, Sanju Samson said that he was surprised to see the amount of turn the Wankhede track offered. He observed in this regard:

"We never expected that (turn); the dew didn't come, and the ball was still turning, so it was a bit shocking to see. I thought it was a good score to chase down, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Our bowlers bowled really well; they batted too deep. 10-15 runs extra we gave down the line."

Sanju Samson was out for 1 in the chase, and apart from Buttler, no other RR batsman could stand up to the CSK challenge. Nevertheless, on the positives from the game, the RR captain particularly eulogised Chetan Sakariya’s performance, saying:

He's (Chetan Sakariya) been doing really well; we lost the match but there are a lot of positives."

A resounding victory for @ChennaiIPL against #RR by 45 runs.4 fine catches and 2 wickets for @imjadeja 👏👏#VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/xMtP2v2elL

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 19, 2021

Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals will next face an undefeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in Mumbai on Thursday.