Sanju Samson Tells Ravichandran Ashwin About Idolizing Rohit Sharma

Sanju Samson also revealed the one decision he would change; citing Rajasthan Royals' decision to not retain R Ashwin for the 2025 IPL season.

Sanju Samson Tells Ravichandran Ashwin About Idolizing Rohit Sharma

Sanju Samson named Rohit Sharma as his cricketing idol, on a podcast with R Ashwin. (via News 18)

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On a podcast with Ravichandran Ashwin, Indian T20I opener and Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson revealed a surprising choice for his biggest cricketing idol. Samson named Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma, highlighting the lasting legacy Sharma has built over the years.

Sanju Samson has been among the headlines for the past few weeks now, with rumors rife that the 30-year-old has reportedly conveyed his desire to the Rajasthan Royals management that he does not wish to continue playing for them, ahead of the 2026 IPL season. He is reportedly looking for a new challenge, with his discord stemming from differences with head coach Rahul Dravid regarding his batting position.

In the midst of these rumors, another IPL veteran, R Ashwin, has also come into the picture. Ashwin, who had an emotional homecoming to Chennai Super Kings in the 2025 IPL season, is also rumored to be looking to part ways with the team after a poor season.

He even addressed the rumors in his podcast, ‘Kutti Stories with Ash,’ with Samson as his guest, where he jokingly offered to trade himself to help facilitate Samson’s rumored move to CSK.

In the same podcast, the Rajasthan Royals star was questioned about several other things, with one of those being about the player who he idolizes the most. The 30-year-old, in his response to Ashwin’s query, disclosed that his all-time cricketing icon is Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma. Samson expressed his admiration for Sharma’s calm demeanor and effortless batting style, showing a clear ‘fan-boy’ moment.

Sanju Samson’s pick was a unique one, as he did not go for more common legends like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. Nonetheless, it shows that Rohit Sharma’s legacy, despite the 38-year-old having retired from playing Tests and T20Is for India, remains unparalleled. Sharma has not been seen in Team India colors for a while now, following India’s famous 2025 ICC Champions Trophy victory.

That’s a big question. Uh… Rohit Sharma.

In the podcast with R Ashwin, Samson also spoke about the player who most excites him to watch in recent days, picking 14-year-old Indian cricket sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He recalled an instance where he saw the young RR batter hit a six and initially thought it was a lucky shot, only to change his mind after witnessing Suryavanshi’s heroics in the 2025 IPL season.

Yeah, I saw him hit one for a six. I was thinking that the little guy got lucky, but it kept on going. The quality of the shots also really shocked me.

Sanju Samson further stated that the quality of shots played by Suryavanshi even shocked him, and he realized it was far more than just luck. The teenage sensation ironically made his IPL debut for the Royals as a replacement for an injured Sanju Samson earlier this year.

Aakash Chopra Suggests This IPL Franchise, Not CSK, as Sanju Samson’s Ideal Destination

Former Indian cricketer and analyst Aakash Chopra suggested that the Kolkata Knight Riders would be a more suitable destination for Sanju Samson than the Chennai Super Kings. His comments come amid the growing uncertainty over Samson’s future with the Rajasthan Royals.

Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson new team
Aakash Chopra suggested that KKR should sign Sanju Samson, if he leaves RR. (via NDTV Sports)

It has been reported that Samson has informed RR of his intent to leave and seek a new opportunity before the 2026 IPL auction. While CSK has emerged as a possible destination, Chopra, on his YouTube suggested that KKR would be a better fit for Samson, given their need for a quality Indian wicket-keeper batter. He added that KKR would also be looking for a long-term replacement to Ajinkya Rahane as the new captain.

The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team.

To facilitate a move for the wicket-keeper batter, Chopra stated that KKR would need to part ways with one of their marquee signings, Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for a massive INR 23.75 crores. However, Chopra did not rule out the possibility of Samson joining CSK as a long-term successor for MS Dhoni.