'Rattled his stumps' - Wasim Akram recalls cleaning up this current IPL captain at a training camp
Wasim Akram Goes Down Memory Lane; Backs young cricketer's Potential
Former cricketer Wasim Akram recently reflected on bowling against the Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson during the Kolkata Knight Riders practice sessions in 2010. Sanju Samson began his IPL journey with Kolkata Knight Riders along with Wasim Akram the team’s bowling coach from 2010-16.
In a recent interview, Pakistan’s ace pacer Wasim Akram recalled bowling the young Sanju Samson and rattling his wickets in the practice session when he was a newcomer. During the practice session, Akram recalled capitalising his bowling skills against the budding batters like the 16-year-old Sanju Samson.
Wasim Akram Goes Down Memory Lane; Backs Sanju Samson’s Potential in Cricket
Akram reflected on the practice camp organised by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2010, where only a few bowlers were available for the cricketers to practice. With the lack of quality bowlers, Akram grabbed the ball himself and began bowling to the wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson.
"I think this incident happened in 2010. I remember KKR had a black kit in 2010. They changed to purple in 2011. So we organized a camp before the IPL. Not at Eden Gardens, but on another ground. So there were few bowlers only available for the camp. Sanju Samson came in to bat. He was a very shy boy then. He used to be silent, and his wicket keeping skills were great. Then, he came to bat as well,” Akram said.
The Pakistan bowler discussed how he rattled Sanju Samson’s wickets after bowling him a couple of outswingers and immediately recognised his potential.
Akram added, "So, I took the ball, and I hope Sanju you remember this. Sanju will remember this. I beat him with a couple of outswingers. I was also young at that time. On the third ball I bowled an inswinger and rattled his stumps. At that time, he did not get a chance, but I felt that he had the potential to become a good player in the future. He was silent. He was a young kid. When big names are around you, you tend to come under pressure. I was with him for a short time only, but I got that feeling that he can become a good player.”
Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals is currently ruling IPL 2024 with the number one spot on the points table after 14 points and 7 wins. The wicket-keeper batter continues to shine bright for his franchise with his Wicketkeeping and attacking batting skills.