Where talent meets consistency: In Rashid Khan’s success, a template for Sanju Samson to flourish

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s victory over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on Friday saw two special players put up outstanding performances, but their night ended in contrasting fashion. Sanju Samson scored as classy a hundred you will ever see in the T20 format but it was Rashid Khan’s all-round brilliance that proved to be the clincher.

Electing to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Rajasthan posted what seemed like a match-winning total of 198. This was largely due to a sublime, unbeaten knock of 102 off 55 deliveries by Samson. This was his second IPL hundred and the first by any batsman in this 12th edition of the tournament.

The 24-year-old had walked out to the middle with his side in a precarious position of 15/1 in the fourth over. Having suffered a demoralising defeat to Kings XI Punjab in their first match, and with the man-in-form Jos Buttler back in the shed, the Royals needed a performance that would lift their spirits. And Samson provided just that.

There are few sights in world cricket as pleasing as Samson in full flow. The right-hander didn’t waste much time in hitting the top gear, sweeping the 11th ball he faced into the stands with what one calls lazy elegance. The next six came just three balls later. Siddarth Kaul pitched it slightly short and bang, the ball sailed all the way thanks to a front-foot pull.

While skipper Ajinkya Rahane [70 off 49] took his time to hit top gear, it was Samson’s effort – which included four sixes and ten boundaries – that provided Rajasthan the impetus they needed. In the 18th over of the innings, he took one of India’s premier fast-bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 24 runs. And by the time he was done, observers of the game were simply left in awe.

Additionally, though, a major part of Samson’s ability to fascinate is due to his inconsistency as a professional cricketer. This innings was another annual reminder that makes you wonder ‘why does he not do this more often?’

And in Rashid Khan, who walked away with the man-of-the-match award, you have two players on the same side of a talent spectrum but polar opposites (as yet) when it comes to delivering consistently.

Contrasting case studies

For Samson, an exceptional performance or two is almost always followed by close to nothing for an unacceptable period of time.

On Friday night, former India opener Gautam Gambhir went as far as to say that Samson is India’s best wicketkeeper-batsman at the moment and should bat at No 4 for the country in the upcoming ICC World Cup. This isn’t the first time a big name of the sport has spoken so highly of the Kerala lad. Former India captain Rahul Dravid was one of the first ones to see a spark in him, and Shane Warne has always been unabashed in his admiration for him. The Australian legend, who is the brand ambassador for the Royals this season, has even predicted that Samson will be the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2019.

The abundance of talent, though, reflects just one half of the picture. The other half is inconsistency. The fact is that Samson has played only one international game, that too way back in 2015. In domestic cricket, he has failed to rack up a single outstanding season.

Samson, however, wasn’t the only standout performer during Friday’s IPL match between the Sunrisers and the Royals. The Player of the Match award went to someone else. That, of course, was Khan.

The leg-spinner was introduced in the attack by Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson as early as the fourth over. There was a specific reason for that, which was to go after Rajasthan’s biggest threat – Buttler. And Khan didn’t disappoint. He struck immediately by rattling the Englishman’s stumps off his second delivery. That was to be his only wicket in the innings, but in a match that went on to see 399 runs being scored in 39 overs, his spell of 1/24 was truly remarkable.

That wasn’t his only contribution in the match. Hyderabad’s chase was set up by David Warner [69 off 37] and Jonny Bairstow’s [45 off 28] dominating opening stand of 110 runs inside ten overs. Vijay Shankar then provided a flourish in the middle overs with a 15-ball 35. But with four overs to go, and half the team bowled out, the hosts still needed 30 runs.

Khan, who considers himself a proper all-rounder, was at the crease with the experienced Yusuf Pathan. The duo played smart cricket, dealing in singles and doubles to take the game right to the end. The penultimate over was bowled by Jofra Archer, one of the most exciting young fast-bowlers in the world who was consistently clocking speeds of over 150 kmph on the night.

Khan, however, never doubted his own skills. He converted a yorker into a half volley to pick up a boundary off the fourth ball of that 19th over, and finished the match off the next delivery with an outrageous flick over square-leg for six — his own version of the helicopter shot.

The 20-year-old has shone with the bat for the Sunrisers earlier, too. In the second qualifier last year at the Eden Gardens against Kolkata Knight Riders, he had scored an unbeaten 34 off just 10 balls to guide his team to the final.

That’s the thing about Khan, his hunger to excel goes hand in hand with his world-class ability. Even in the field, one will hardly ever see him drop a catch and he’s always ready to put his body on the line to save each run. The Afghan’s stature has grown steadily over the years. Be it international cricket or the various T20 leagues around the world where he is most sought after, Khan very rarely has an off day. With the white-ball, especially, he’s arguably the biggest wicket-taking weapon in world cricket today.

Despite the talent in both Samson and Khan being undeniable, they offer a study in contrasts. The latter is a fine example of someone who’s making the most of what he’s been gifted. Which, of course is a lot. And his journey is the sort of course correction that 24-year-old Samson could use in his career right about now.

“It’s just a matter of time. If I keep working hard and doing the right things at the right time, I’ll be there [Team India] one day,” Samson had told Scroll.in during an interview earlier this month.

Well, his latest century is surely a big, bright step forward. All he needs now is… a Khan-esque run of consistency.