‘Calm, relaxed and strategically sound’ - AB de Villiers heaps praises on captain Sanju Samson

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is well underway, and the finalists of the 2022 season, Rajasthan Royals have gotten off to a decent start in the tournament. They won their first game of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad but lost their second game to Punjab Kings.

However, the one constant in both of Rajasthan’s matches has been the performance of skipper Sanju Samson. Following his magnificent knocks, Royal Challengers Bangalore legend AB de Villiers came forward to heap praise on Samson’s repertoire.

"I think he’s got all the credentials to be a wonderful captain. Who knows—possibly even one day in a year or two or three’s time, in one of the formats in the India team, he could very easily be the captain there, and I think it will do his cricket the world of good. If he can stay as captain for long periods of time, I think he’s going to go places with it," De Villiers told JioCinema.

Sanju Samson is strategically pretty sound: AB de Villiers

De Villiers further spoke about Samson being always calm and composed even in the most pressing situations. He opined that Samson’s ability to never be fussed by anything is a very good sign.

"Sanju Samson, we all know, is an incredible player, but what’s his captaincy like? I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is his composure. Calm, relaxed kind of guy. He never seems to be fussed by anything, which is a very good sign as a captain," De Villiers said.

"Strategically I think he’s pretty sound. I think he can still improve and will still improve over time as he gets more experience and spends more time with someone like Jos Buttler, which is a fantastic asset for him to have in his ear all the time. He’s got so much to learn there," he added.