Sanju Samson says he will continue to go on the attack with the bat, despite his downturn in form in the IPL.
The new Rajasthan Royals captain started the season in blistering fashion, scoring a century that was acclaimed as one of the finest ever IPL innings, albeit in a losing cause in the first match.
Since then, though, he has made two single-figure scores. The second of those was brought about by a limp dismissal which set in motion a collapse when Rajasthan had appeared well placed to chase the 189 they needed to beat Chennai Super Kings on Monday night.
The sequence of events is not unusual for Samson. He started last season in the UAE in similarly spectacular fashion, only for his form to tail off – and his side's results largely matched his own returns.
Samson, though, says he will carry on taking risks when he bats, even if it does bring failures along the way.
“It keeps on happening in this format of the game,” Samson said.
“To be successful in the IPL, it definitely demands a lot of risk-taking shots. When I succeeded, I took lots of risks. That’s why I scored a hundred.
“It depends on what mindset you come with on the day. I don’t want to restrict my shots. I want to keep playing my shots, and keep batting the way I love to bat.
“It is about accepting failures along the way. I am not at all worried about getting out.
"At the same time, I am definitely looking to contribute to my team’s victories in the coming matches.”
Samson’s dismissal against Chennai, while Jos Buttler was excelling at the other end, brought with it plenty of criticism.
He chipped his fifth ball, off Sam Curran, to Dwayne Bravo at mid-on. From 45-1 at that stage, Rajasthan managed just 143-9 by the end of their 20 overs, which was a hefty 45 runs short of Chennai’s total.
“The pressure to perform consistently is always there when you play a tournament like the IPL,” Samson said.
“Sometime you succeed, sometimes you fail. There are a lot of ways to look at that dismissal. I will go back and review it.”
