IPL 2019 | Steve Smith’s absence a great loss, but Royals have enough bench strength, says Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals find themselves in an unfortunate situation, where most of their international stars have returned back to their respective countries to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. Smith’s appointment as the captain turned out to be an effective one for Royals, but his departure at this time of the tournament will create a huge gap for Royals to fill. Samson feels that Smith’s absence will be huge but they do have enough bench strength to make up for it.  

“Definitely, it (Smith’s departure) is a great loss. First Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and now Smith but we knew this before the tournament. We have enough bench strength to cover the losses,” Samson said.

Samson further spoke about his desire to play for India and how his confidence has boosted after Brian Lara spoke highly about him. 

“It feels really great when legends like Lara talk highly of you. It boosts your confidence. I am very confident and happy the way I have been playing. I am excitedly waiting for my opportunity to play for India. There is no point in getting frustrated. You can use it as a motivation and push more. It’s not easy to get into the Indian team. You need to work hard and earn that spot.”

“If you talk about my career or anyone’s career, there are definitely ups and downs. Going through such phases I feel is good because only when you go down will you know how to climb up.”

Samson feels he has grown as a cricketer and is strong enough to represent the national side. “I am lucky that I have gone down many times in my career. I’m happy to have all these experiences. To enter the Indian team you need to know how to make a comeback, you need to be strong enough and you only get strong when you fail. I failed a lot of times and now I am strong enough to play for India,” Samson said.