The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
All the ’keepers fitting in the team is a good problem to have: Samson
The cool breeze blowing across the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is rather a relief on this scorching Saturday afternoon. At the nets, Jos Buttler is taking on Avesh Khan.
Buttler is one of Rajasthan Royals’ most familiar faces, having joined the franchise in 2018, but Avesh is sporting pink for the first time, after being traded by Lucknow Super Giants for Devdutt Padikkal.
Interestingly, Royals is taking on his former team in the first game for both
Sanju Samson would rather keep wicket. There may be other options for Rajasthan Royals, like Dhruv Jurel and Jos Buttler, but he believes he gets a better view of the action as captain from behind the stumps.
“All the ’keepers fitting in the eleven or twelve is a good problem to have,” Samson said at a press conference on the eve of Rajasthan Royals’ first match of the season (against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday). “Three of us have been doing keeping and fielding sessions during training.”
About Adam Zampa pulling out at the last minute, he said it was a good opportunity for his replacement Tanush Kotian. the sides in Season 17 of the IPL.
For the moment, he is involved in an interesting battle at the nets. Soon after being lofted over longoff area by England’s whiteball captain, Avesh forces a thick outside edge. A little later, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has proved such a wise investment for Royals, walks in.
Buttler and Jaiswal are one of the most explosive and gifted opening pairs in the IPL. Jaiswal rarely puts a foot wrong these days, while Buttler has been one of the league’s most successful batters.
Captain Sanju Samson,
“We have been tracking him for the last couple of seasons,” Samson said.
The skipper is expecting a lot from the man of the moment in the Royals team, Yashasvi Jaiswal. “His best phase is yet to come,” he said. “There is a lot more in Yashasvi that
Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell make it a formidable batting lineup.
In the exceptional spin duo of R. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal and the experienced seamer Trent Boult, the bowling looks balanced.
For LSG, the absence of the English pacers Mark Wood and David Willey may be a setback, but the West Indies quick Shamar Joseph’s is among the season’s most awaited debuts.
Skipper K.L. Rahul, who is returning from injury, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers promise runs aplenty. we are yet to see.”
LSG’s new assistant coach Lance Klusener said though he was not a fan of the IPL’s Impact Player rule, it was a nice innovation. “To get that call right is a challenge for the coach,” said the former South African allrounder.