Wasim Akram, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach shared a compelling story regarding Sanju Samson. Akram dismissed Sanju Samson in the KKR’s pre-season camp in 2010 where he came to bat. When Akram appeared on Sportskeeda Cricket’s Match Ki Baat Show, he revealed that Sanju Samson was quite a shy guy. Considering the lack of bowlers available during the pre-season camp in 2010, Akram opted to bowl himself against the 16-year-old Sanju Samson.
Wasim Akram reveals an interesting incident of Sanju Samson
The first two out-swing balls by Akram left Sanju standing there with no clue. The third delivery by Akram simply banged his stumps.
“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 IPL. Not at Eden Gardens, but on another ground. So there were few bowlers only available for the camp,” Wasim Akram recalled.
Wasim went on to share exactly the details of what happened on that day in the nets,
“Sanju Samson came in to bat. He was a very shy boy then. He used to be silent, and his wicketkeeping skills were great. Then, he came to bat as well. 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. The third ball I bowled an inswinger and rattled his stumps. So, I went and did like this (shows the sendoff he gave by swinging his finger),” he concluded.
Two years later after that, Sanju was offered 8 lakh from KKR. And KKR became champions in IPL 2012 where he was a part of the team.
I got that feeling that he can become a good player- Wasim Akram says he knew Sanju Samson had the potential
Akram further shared his experience of working with Sanju at Kolkata Knight Riders where he got to learn about Sanju’s potential during his old days.
“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,” Wasim Akram added.
Sanju Samson was dismissed from KKR after the 2012 season. He then joined Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2013 and now he is the captain of the team.