Cricket

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has hailed pacer Sandeep Sharma as the "next guy" after Jasprit Bumrah, following his standout performance in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2024. Despite the Royals' heartbreaking 36-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sandeep's precise swinging deliveries shone through on a night dominated by spinners.The 31-year-old speedster delivered an impressive spell, capturing the wickets of SRH's power-hitting duo, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen, finishing with figures of 2/25 in his four-over spell. Samson, who has closely followed Sandeep's progress throughout the season, praised him as a consistent performer who deserves recognition at the national level."I am happy for him. By not being picked in the auctions and coming back as a replacement, the way he bowled, he has delivered. If we look at the numbers, Sandeep Sharma in the last two years, he will be the next guy after Bumrah. He has done a great job," Samson remarked post-match.Sandeep's journey this season has been noteworthy. After going unsold in the previous IPL auction, he was signed by the Royals as a replacement for Prasidh Krishna. From that moment, he emerged as a crucial figure in Rajasthan's pace bowling setup. Sandeep ended the season with 13 wickets in 11 matches, maintaining an economy of 8.18 and a strike rate of 17.54.Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, during his commentary, urged the BCCI selectors to consider Sandeep for the national team. He highlighted the often-overlooked consistency of the pacer's performances, despite the focus on express fast bowlers. "Whenever someone bowls over 140kmph, we begin salivating, but no one talks about him as an India prospect. Look at the slower bowls, it shows cleverness," Gavaskar noted.Sandeep's performance in Qualifier 2 further cemented his status as a reliable and effective bowler. His ability to swing the ball both ways and control the pace makes him a valuable asset to any team. With the IPL season now concluded, Sandeep will hope to continue his impressive form and earn a call-up to the Indian national team.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on right-arm seamer Sandeep Sharma for his exceptional performance in their IPL 2024 opener against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Sharma's economical spell of 3 overs for 22 runs, including a wicket, played a crucial role in RR's 20-run victory at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.Ashwin highlighted the impact of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag's 93-run partnership, which laid the foundation for RR's competitive total of 193/4. Samson's unbeaten 82 off 52 balls, studded with six maximums and three fours, was a standout performance. Parag contributed a valuable 43 off 29 balls, including three sixes."Sanju and Riyan batted really well," Ashwin said. "But I felt we were 10 runs short, with so many impact players coming up in the form of Hetmyer and Jurel."Ashwin also praised Sharma's consistency and work ethic. "Sandy has been a top-5 bowler (in the IPL)," Ashwin said. "He's a character, does the dirty work for us, did a lot to cover for Prasidh in the last season as well. I see him as a fighter."In the chase, LSG was reduced to 11/3 before Deepak Hooda and KL Rahul steadied the innings. However, RR bowlers Trent Boult, Sandeep, Ashwin, Nandre Burger, and Yuzvendra Chahal combined to restrict LSG to 173/6, with Nicholas Pooran's 64 off 41 balls proving insufficient.Boult was the pick of the bowlers with 2/35, while Sandeep, Ashwin, Burger, and Chahal took a wicket each. Samson was adjudged 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning half-century.