Back in 2014, Sanju Samson scored a match-winning hundred against Pakistan that won India the Under-19 Asia Cup at the same Sharjah Cricket Stadium that he lit alight with a stunning display in Rajasthan Royals’ Indian Premier League 2020 opener. Up against an experienced Chennai Super Kings attack, Samson took Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja to the cleaners, with what seemed like little effort with them overpitching consistently. He read the lengths adeptly, got under the ball and with the straight boundaries not big enough, he smashed nine sixes in his 32-ball 74 with just the solitary boundary.

Samson came in to join Steve Smith in the middle after the Royals’ skipper had promoted himself up the order in the absence of Jos Buttler. Smith, who had only played the three T20Is in England, took some time in the middle to get going, but Samson stood and delivered. If it was in the arc, he maintained the shape and hit through the line and went for it gloriously on Tuesday (September 22), taking the game on oozing with positive intent.

Despite the pandemic-induced break from cricket, Samson didn’t look one bit rusty. By his own admission to Star after the game, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman spent the last year and a half working on his fitness, diet and training. Understanding that his game has a lot of power, he worked on his strength. “I can feel myself getting stronger. Range-hitting is what the game demands in this generation, and that’s what my role is so I’ve definitely worked on that and developed my power-hitting a bit more in these five months.”

In the intra-squad game that was part of the Royals’ warm-up ahead of the season opener, against Robin Uthappa’s XI, he posted a 34-ball 55 coming at No. 3 – his customary spot in the Royals’ line-up. His blitzkrieg in Sharjah came at No. 3 too, as did his century last season – a position he has made his own over the years.

Samson is a vital cog in the Royals’ middle-order. Buttler’s return though, is certain to cause a disruption to the order throwing the floor open for various permutations and combinations. Smith, who opened today will move one down, two at best if Samson will keep his No. 3 spot. However, the more glaring concern for Rajasthan, in the absence of Ben Stokes, will be the lack a power-hitter down the order. It was quite evident against CSK; had it not been for Jofra Archer’s last-over heroics where he smashed four successive sixes, they would’ve finished with a total shy of 200, which would’ve been disappointing given the position they were in.

Samson bolstering his power-game bodes well for him to fill in that gaping hole, and assuming a whole lot of responsibility, alongside David Miller. Including Miller for Tom Curran, however, denies them off a bowling option that Stokes would’ve provided them with. Robin Uthappa’s record at No.4 or below since 2015 is rather forgettable, with the batsman having scores of: 0, 2, 1, 2, 0, 9, with a 5 off 9 balls today on his Royals’ debut, reinforcing the need of a strong finisher.

“It gives us options,” said Smith when asked if Buttler’s return will throw their plans in a disarray. “Obviously he (Samson) played incredibly well today. Just felt like everything he was hitting was going for six. Jos coming back next game is a big plus for us. We’ll wait and see what we think is best. Jos has an incredible record up top so I daresay he’ll slot back in there. We knew we were going to have to score some big runs on this ground with it getting dewy in the second innings. That’s the role Sanju plays, he takes the game on.”

Buttler’s record as an opener for Rajasthan since 2018 is telling, averaging 61.58 with a strike-rate of 160 with eight fifty-plus scores, while the other openers average just 28.10 in stark contrast with just five fifty-plus scores.

If Samson’s role in the Royals’ line-up is clear, with a new leaf of innovation to his own game, it would rather suit the side to have him come a tad lower down the order than what he’s accustomed to. A late flourish, in case of a top-order failure, is what Rajasthan seem like they are bereft of right now. But in Samson, they could find the answers to that.