Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson hailed the former Indian skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid’s leadership ability and opened up on what he is trying to learn from it, the franchise’s official site reported. Head coach Dravid and captain Samson will be reuniting in RR colours in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, with the first match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23. Speaking on Dravid’s influence, Samson hailed Dravid’s ability to lead others by example, both on and off the field.
“There is a lot to learn from him as a character,” Samson, the Royals’ captain for IPL 2025, said in a JioHotstar special, as quoted by RR’s official website.
Dravid was the captain of the RR side, as a part of which Samson made his IPL debut in 2013. The season was a breakthrough one for the batter, who scored 206 runs in 10 innings with a half-century.
Dravid led India in 25 Tests and 79 ODIs, with win percentages of 57.14 and 56 per cent respectively and his leadership skills are regarded highly till this day. As a head coach, Dravid earned his first-ever ICC title, the T20 World Cup 2024, partnering with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and achieving another big high as a leader.
Samson also credited Dravid for giving him a lot of learnings during his initial mentorship stint with RR in 2014 season of the league, saying, “All the small instances, how he used to treat the young people, how he used to take care of the seniors, how he communicates, how he talks during meetings. All those things, I quietly observed, and I feel like somewhat I do the same thing.”
The current RR skipper also revealed an exchange with Dravid that has stayed in his mind and inspired him to follow Dravid’s footsteps.
“When he came back, he asked me, ‘Sanju, what do you stand for in this franchise?’ and I told him, ‘Sir, it’s very easy, I just continued from where you left,” he concluded.
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