‘I was a little bit surprised’ – Former South Africa cricketer slams Sanju Samson for poor captaincy against GT in IPL 2023

In the 48th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by nine wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. GT reached 119/1 in 13.5 overs, chasing a 119-run total, with Wriddhiman Saha hitting an unbeaten 41-run knockoff on 34 balls. Meanwhile, captain Hardik Pandya struck an unbeaten 39 off 15 deliveries. The RR bowlers struggled, as just Yuzvendra Chahal was able to claim a wicket.

However, after the game former South Africa cricketer Shaun Pollock revealed that he was rattled by RR skipper Sanju Samson’s tactical errors. While speaking with Cricbuzz Pollock said that he was surprised with some of the tactics employed in the game while GT’s run chase. He said, “I was a little bit surprised by some of the tactics employed there. After 1-2 overs, you realized that it wasn’t swinging. So, they were late to get to the spinners to look if maybe they could have had an impact, was a little bit of a surprise.”

Pollock further stated that as GT easily hit the goal, it demonstrated that Rajasthan simply had a batting meltdown. He said, “There wasn’t much on the surface, it is got to be disappointing to be bowled out for 118. The ease with which they reached 119 just shows that it was a batting meltdown rather than anything to do with the conditions.”

Rajasthan Royals failed to capitalise on the opportunities

Talking about the game, RR skipper Sanju Samson initially won the toss and chose to bat. RR, on the other hand, suffered a batting collapse and was bowled out for 118 in 17.5 overs. Samson was the lone notable batter, scoring 30 off 20 balls. Rashid Khan was in hot form for GT’s bowling unit as he clinched three wickets. For the visitors, Noor Ahmad also grabbed two wickets.

Gujarat remained on top of the IPL 2023 points table after the win, with 14 points in 10 matches. RR, on the other hand, is fourth with 10 points in 10 games. Notably, Gujarat will play Lucknow Super Giants in Ahmedabad next, while RR will host Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur.