Samson’s effort in useless after Hooda hurricane hits Wankhede

The fourth match of IPL 2021 produced some sensational hitting, in addition to sloppy fielding that noticed six catches being dropped. Chasing 222, Sanju Samson’s breath-taking 63-ball 119 – punctuated by 12 boundaries and seven sixes – was not sufficient as Rajasthan Royals went right down to Punjab Kings by 4 runs in a high-octane encounter.
Samson’s effort in useless
On 9 out of 10 events, Sanju Samson would have backed himself to deposit Arshdeep Singh over the long-off boundary. Perhaps, fatigue obtained the higher of him on Monday. Samson was batting on 119 off 62 deliveries, when he ended up slicing it to Deepak Hooda — the person who had set it up for Punjab Kings within the first innings. The outcome was a 4-run loss for Rajasthan Royals, capping a tense, manic match that noticed superlative stroke-play from each side.
However, spare a thought for Samson, who marked his IPL captaincy debut with an exquisite century, however couldn’t take his crew previous the end line. Samson had begun IPL 2020 with a bang, shellacking two power-packed performances — a 32-ball 74 towards Chennai Super Kings and a 42-ball 85 versus Kings XI Punjab — earlier than all of it went downhill for him as Rajasthan Royals completed on the backside of the factors desk. Another promising season was nipped within the bud.
But in 2021, being elevated as Royals captain didn’t appear to fluster Samson. If something, it has solely unshackled him to proceed together with his model of free-flowing, aggressive cricket.

Captain. 💗#HallaBol | #RRvPBKS | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/Jy3GE9odab
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 12, 2021
A 222-run chase towards Punjab Kings was at all times going to be arduous. More so, after Royals misplaced Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler inside the primary eight overs. But Samson by no means panicked, rode his luck – having fun with two dropped catches – to launch an innings of ability, aptitude and sustained, out-of-the world hitting. The 26-year-old introduced up his ton in simply 54 deliveries, carving out a 4, six and a 4 off consecutive deliveries from Australian pacer Jhye Richardson.
When in full flight, Samson is a sight to behold. Unlike most fashionable batsmen, he doesn’t sashay down the monitor, however stays nonetheless in his crease, and makes use of his sinewy forearms to unfurl that pretty free-flowing swing of the bat to smash spinners and pacers with ease. If the Punjab Kings bowlers pitches it up, he cleared his entrance leg and deposited it over long-off.

Wankhede vich kitta RAJ! 👑#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/NA9JBL23Bx
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 12, 2021
From 95/3 after 10 overs, Royals raced to 154/4 in 15 overs, and 209/6 after the nineteenth over. In this era, Samson took his private tally from 41 off 30 to 112 off 58. “I don’t have words to explain my feelings. Would have loved to finish it off for my team. I don’t think I could have done better than that. I thought I timed it well for a six (last ball of the match) but somehow… Catches go down and good catches were also taken. It’s part of the game,” Samson mentioned after the loss.
Hooda hurricane
Deepak Hooda was greeted by loud, manic cheers and thunderous applause from his Punjab Kings team-mates, following his 28-ball 64. The staggering assault offered ample proof of the 26-year-old’s prodigious expertise as a stroke-player. But those that have watched him in home cricket won’t be shocked.
For all of the splendour and visceral thrill this knock offered, it’s scarcely plausible to notice that three months in the past, Hooda’s cricketing profession was on the crossroads. Ahead of this 12 months’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he stormed out of the bio-bubble following a spat with Baroda captain Krunal Pandya, which finally resulted within the state affiliation suspending him for indiscipline. In his letter to the affiliation, Hooda had alleged that Krunal had used abusive language that left him ‘demoralised and depressed’.

Great win tonight! 💫💪#SaddaPunjab #RRvPBKS #Ipl2021 @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/nCgZINbfM1
— Deepak Hooda (@HoodaOnHearth) April 12, 2021
That he has managed to orchestrate such a turnaround in such a brief span of time is testomony to Hooda’s temperament and psychological fortitude. At the Wankhede Stadium, the teen was promoted to No.4, forward of the mercurial Nicholas Pooran, which gave him time to get his eye in. In the corporate of captain KL Rahul (91 off 50 balls), Hooda blossomed. There was a sequence of eye-catching photographs, like the way wherein he biffed Chris Morris over the mid-wicket fence for a most, or the convenience with which he merely prolonged his arms to smoke leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal for a straight six. Hooda’s essay was a game-changer.
Walking out to bat on the half-way stage with Punjab’s rating studying 89/2, his attacking instincts not solely eased the stress off Rahul, but in addition gave a fillip to the run fee. Resultantly, their 105-run alliance in 7.4 overs propelled Punjab to 221/6. In some ways, Hooda fulfilled the position that the crew administration had anticipated Glenn Maxwell to carry out final 12 months, just for the Aussie to fail miserably.
Hooda has been an IPL common since 2015. However, in 69 video games he has batted down the order, which hardly gave him alternatives to stamp his presence. He had conjured one other blinder — an unbeaten 30-ball 62 — for Punjab towards Chennai Super Kings final season. They finally misplaced that match, however Hooda signed off together with his repute enhanced.