The veteran Indian spinner, R Ashwin showered praises on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper, Sanju Samson, saying that the latter has an excellent attitude and a calm head that will help him during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Ashwin left Delhi Capitals to bag a contract with Rajasthan Royals, his 5th IPL franchise for the new 10-team season. R Ashwin said Samson has the advantage of being a wicketkeeper.

Sanju Samson has been leading the Royals for the last couple of IPL seasons. Despite results not going their way, the team management has been trusting Samson to lead the franchise, who recently made a return to the Indian limited-overs side in the home series against Sri Lanka.

Talking about Samson during a recent media interaction, R Ashwin said, “I think Sanju has got an amazing attitude and a good head on his shoulders. He’s always open for discussion, open to opinions around the game, so that’s a great quality to have. I do believe Sanju has got the vantage point as a wicketkeeper to judge the game with all the angles, the pitch, and how things are going to work. He also has age on his side, and will definitely get better.”

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Being one of the senior-most players, R Ashwin has been known for evolving according to the demands of the sport and he reckons that IPL has allowed him the freedom to experiment and hone his skills. While highlighting the competitiveness of the IPL, the off-spinner, who will join hands with the leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal at the Royals, said he is looking forward to the new season.

Elaborating the same, R Ashwin said, “The IPL is a tough tournament, there are a lot of variables leading into every season which can have an impact. Dew, pitches, the opposition, you name it and there’s a variable that can impact a game in different ways – which makes it a challenge to prepare for things in advance and you’ve got to be ready at all times. However, for me, personally, going into an IPL season is always exciting.”

Rajasthan Royals will be opening their IPL 2022 campaign against the SunRisers Hyderabad on March 29. R Ashwin said he never ran after numbers in his career and considers personal milestones as “just part of the journey and not a final destination”.

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R Ashwin concluded, “The numbers are great, and it’s humbling really to see what I’ve been able to do in terms of the numbers. The more I’ve played, the more it felt like the numbers are a part of the journey rather than the destination. In the past 2-3 years especially, the feeling has been great, with series’ wins in Australia, comeback into the T20 team, it almost feels like how I felt when I first broke into the team, wherein a lot has been going on for me.”