"Sanju Samson should have played more matches for India" - Shoaib Akhtar feels RR captain has been unlucky

Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar reckons that Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been unlucky and should have played more matches for India.

Samson, 27, has represnted India in only one ODI and 13 T20Is so far. He made his first-class debut back in 2011 when MS Dhoni was at the peak of his career. Following Dhoni’s retirement, Rishabh Pant has taken over as India’s first-choice keeper-batter across all formats.

According to the IPL schedule, Samson will be leading the Rajasthan franchise against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an IPL 2022 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. Previewing the clash on Sportskeeda’s show "SK Match Ki Baat", Akhtar shared his views on Samson and said:

“Sanju Samson should have played more matches for India. I think he is one of the finest players. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to seal his place in the Indian team. But he is a great talent.”

The aggressive wicketkeeper-batter was part of the Indian T20 squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka at home in February. He registered scores of 39 and 18 in the two games he got to bat.

For the latest IPL point table, click here.

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Jos Buttler has not got the credit he deserves” - Shoaib Akhtar on RR’s destructive IPL opener

Apart from Samson, Akhtar also hailed RR opening batter Jos Buttler while discussing the strengths of the franchise. He opined that the aggressive England batter has not yet got the kind of recognition that he deserves for his fantastic performances.

Sharing his views on the 31-year-old, the "Rawalpindi Express" commented:

“If England had promoted Jos Buttler instead of Ben Stokes, he would have been a superstar of England. Buttler is a big magician. He can score on poor wickets, and on good surfaces, he destroys bowlers. He is a massive talent. Jos Buttler has not got the credit that he deserves. He is one of the most perfect players, one of the most lethal forces to reckon with right now. I don’t think his talent has been recognized yet.”

Buttler has been in terrific form in IPL 2022 so far. After scoring 35 off 28 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he hammered 100 off 68 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

RR have won both matches and are currently atop the standings with four points.