Sanju Samson is not an ‘in your face’ kind of cricketer. He goes about doing his business without much fuss, and while seeing him bat, you get the sense that he is batting with a plan. He is, therefore, a lot like his mentor, Rahul Dravid, who was more than eager to include a raw talent like Samson in the Rajasthan Royals squad. Samson has been a success story ever since his notable contributions for RR and his outstanding performances in first-class cricket.

On Sunday night, Sanju Samson’s first half-century of Pepsi IPL 2014 for the Rajasthan Royals was overshadowed by Kings XI Punjab’s Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, who chased a huge total with apparent ease. Such was the nature of those two innings that two other brilliant knocks in the same match – those of Sanju Samson and Shane Watson – took a backseat. Very rarely does one feel like 191 was not enough in a T20 game, but such was the nature of the batsman-friendly Sharjah track.

“The wicket was supportive to the batsmen and the match was always alive even after getting 190-plus on the board.” Sanju Samson said, as he spoke to IPLT20.com after the match. “It was that kind of day for our opposition when everything went their way, and credit to them for the way they played,” added Samson. 

The youngster is surely not flustered by one bad day on the field for his team. But it did hurt the 19-year-old to see his side on the losing side. “I have always loved to play for Rajasthan Royals and I am very happy that I contributed from my end to help the team get to a formidable total. But it hurts that we lost the match after playing so well,” he said.

But Samson and co. have a long way to go. He feels that he is in good nick and had come well prepared for the tournament. “I played many matches here in the UAE in under-19 tournaments. I played the Asia Cup and World Cup here and knew the wickets well. That experience really helped me to be in good touch ahead of the IPL.”

So, have there been any changes over the years in Samson the batsman? “This year, I want to finish more games for the Rajasthan Royals,” he says with conviction. “I want to play according to my game plan. I have been successful in doing that so far. I am playing according to the opposition and choosing the bowlers that I want to attack.”

Against Kings XI Punjab, Samson was at his attacking best. He hit four sixes – two of them straight down the ground over the bowler’s head and the other two in the ‘V’. Aggression, according to Samson, comes naturally to him. “I always try to dominate the bowlers and I am an aggressive batsman. Tonight, I felt like being aggressive while batting and was hungry for some runs and I got that. I always try to gauge my innings and play according to the situation. I play according to the field and according to the bowler I am facing. Tonight was no different.”

When asked if he had any goals for the future, he replied, “I do not like to set goals. I only react according to the situation and I am happy with the way I am playing at the moment.