IPL 2022: Aakash Chopra urges RR skipper Samson to lead from the front - “Every season, Sanju baba starts with a bang and then just tapers off”

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has urged Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson to display more consistency with the bat and lead from the front. Pointing to a pattern in the batter’s Indian Premier League (IPL) performances over the years, Chopra said that he always starts in impressive fashion but loses steam as the tournament progresses.

The 27-year-old has scored 117 runs in five IPL 2022 matches at an average of 23.40 and a strike rate of 148.10. He has one fifty to his credit so far.

According to the IPL schedule, Samson will be in action on Monday when Rajasthan take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Analyzing his batting in this year’s IPL edition, Chopra opined on his YouTube channel:

“Sanju Samson needs to score runs. Every season, Sanju baba starts with a bang and then just tapers off. This year as well, the story has been somewhat similar. He started well but then the graph has again gone down. The time has come for him to lift himself and the team as well. He needs to play a captain’s knock.”

Expand Tweet

The aggressive wicketkeeper-batter batter began his IPL 2022 campaign with a 55 off 27 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). His subsequent scores read 30, eight, 13, and 11.

Click here to view the IPL winners list.

“He must start performing now” - Aakash Chopra on RR batter Devdutt Padikkal

Expand Tweet

Apart from the Rajasthan skipper, Chopra also urged young left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal to lift his game. The 21-year-old has registered scores of 41, seven, 37, 29 and 0 in the five matches so far.

According to the cricketer-turned-comentator, RR's batting department seems to be heavily dependent on Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer. The 44-year-old explained:

“Devdutt Padikkal did not score runs in the last game, but he will be expected to score and he must start performing now. Jos Buttler has been batting really well. Even in the last game, it was only Jos who looked in control. The rest of the batters hardly did anything. Apart from Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer has been doing really well with the bat. But Padikkal, Samson, and Rassie van der Dussen must buck up because things are getting tougher.”

Chasing 193 against Gujarat, Buttler smashed 54 off 24 balls. However, once he was dismissed, the innings went off track as GT won the contest by 37 runs.