Rahul Dravid provides update on Sanju Samson's recovery from side strain ahead of RR vs MI IPL 2025 match

Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid provided a crucial update on Sanju Samson's fitness ahead of the IPL 2025 game against the Mumbai Indians in Jaipur on Thursday. Although the former Team India coach said Samson is recovering well, he asserted that they won't rush his return.

Samson played the first three matches this season as an impact player, with Riyan Parag leading the side, but could play only four more matches as captain. The 30-year-old retired hurt amid his innings against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. A side strain ruled him out of the next three matches as Parag returned as the skipper.

Answering a question from PTI, Dravid said side strains can be tricky at times. He added that Samson is being looked after well, but they wish to take it on a day-by-day basis. He said:

"Sanju is recovering well but we just have to take it day-by-day. It’s a side-strain and sometimes these side strains can be a bit tricky and we don’t want to harm him in the long run. We are monitoring it on a daily basis and we will see how it pulls up. Every day we get reports whether he is available or not so we will take it day-by-day and see how he goes but he is very well looked after."

Nevertheless, the Royals haven't missed Samson's presence at the top, given how well Vaibhav Suryavanshi has played. The 14-year-old smashed a hundred in 35 balls against the Gujarat Titans in the previous game as the Royals chased down 210 comfortably.

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"Nobody is saying that he is a finished article" - Rahul Dravid on Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Rahul Dravid. (Image Credits: Getty)

Speaking about the teenage prodigy Suryavanshi, Dravid stated that his judgment of length and hand-eye coordination has impressed him the most. The former Indian skipper elaborated:

"For me it is really the ability to have that level of fearlessness and not get fazed by the occasion. You don't get to see that with people that young. The range of shots he showed. He is only going to get better. Nobody is saying that he is a finished article. No one should rush to call him somebody he is not.

"What gives him power is a good bat speed, high backlift, hand-eye coordination. His judgment of length is something that has amazed me, whether it is fractionally short or full, he can capitalise on that. His natural strength is helpful in this situation."

It will be interesting to see how Suryavanshi goes against the likes of Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, and Jasprit Bumrah.