177/9
(20.0) RR 8.85
- Match 16 - 22 Apr, ThuMatch Ended
RAJ
BLR
181/0(20.0) RR 8.85Bangalore beat Rajasthan by 10 wickets
- Match 15 - 21 Apr, WedMatch Ended220/3(20.0) RR 11
CHE
KOL
202/10(20.0) RR 11Chennai beat Kolkata by 18 runs
- Match 17 - 23 Apr, FriUp Next
PBKS
MI
19:30 IST - Chennai
- Match 18 - 24 Apr, SatUp Next
RR
KKR
19:30 IST - Wankhede, Mumbai
IPL 2021: Kevin Pietersen is in 'Absolute Awe' of This Indian Batsman
Pietersen stressed on the fact that Samson needs to be consistent with the bat as he tends to ‘go missing’ in the middle of IPL.
- Cricketnext Staff
- Updated: April 22, 2021, 9:03 PM IST
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has heaped praise on Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson and said that he is in absolute awe of the way the wicketkeeper-batsman plays his shots. The 40-year-old specifically pointed out Samson’s innings against Punjab Kings where he scored 119 in Rajasthan Royals’ defeat.
“I just love Sanju Samson every single year. I’m just in absolute awe of the way he plays his shots and the time that he has to play shots. His century against the Punjab Kings was absolutely magnificent and he was very unlucky not to get his side over the line,” Pietersen told Betway.
However, Pietersen stressed on the fact that Samson needs to be consistent with the bat as he tends to ‘go missing’ in the middle of IPL.
“I talked about it a lot on commentary last year, but it’s all about consistency with Samson,” Pietersen added. ”He has a tendency to go missing in the middle of the tournament.”
After the century against PBKS, Sanju has scored 4 against Delhi Capitals, 1 against Chennai Super Kings and 21 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In four matches, he has scored 145 runs at an average of 36.35
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we don’t want this to be the only innings worth talking about for a few weeks, so we should be wary that he only scored four in Rajasthan’s second match against Delhi Capitals.
“His responsibilities are going to another level now that he is the Royals’ captain, though, and he must also cover the hole left by Ben Stokes in that batting line-up.
“As captain you start thinking about others as well as yourself, which can go one of two ways. You can lose your basics and go off the boil, but it can also liberate you because you’re not constantly thinking about your own game.
“When you don’t think too much about batting, a free spirit like Samson can go out there and just start tonking it everywhere. It’s yet another reminder that there is no academy in the world like the IPL,” said Pietersen.
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