Former England skipper Joe Root has heaped praise on Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, saying he is growing every year as a player and a leader. RR are set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match of the 2023 Indian Premier League on April 2. Speaking to PTI, Root said he has always enjoyed watching Samson and insisted that he has improved as a player and leaders over the past years. Samson lead RR to just their second final in IPL history where they lost against Gujarat Titans by seven wickets.

“Last year was an exceptional year for the franchise and I’ve always enjoyed watching Sanju [Samson] play. I think he’s a hell of a talent and seems to keep growing every year as a player and as a leader,” said Root.

He went on to shower praise on Ravichandran Ashwin as well, calling him a match-winner, adding that he is looking forward to working with such players closely and learn from them.

“Ravichandran Ashwin is another name I’m really excited about. He’s definitely a match-winner, and it’s great to get the opportunity to work with these guys up close, watch them go about things, learn from them, and hopefully spend some treasured memories with them as well,” Root added.

Root also hailed Riyan Parag, calling him mature for his age, while adding that he is looking forward to connecting with the franchise and their fans this season. Root was brought for his base price of Rs 1 crore by RR in the mini-auction held in Kochi for his maiden stint in the IPL.

“He [Riyan Parag] played some important innings last year at a very young age, but I think he is quite mature as a player. It’s going be a very special year with the fact that the Royals are coming back to Jaipur and connecting with the fans and the city again. We’re looking forward to embracing that atmosphere and being a part of it,” said Root.