'Rahul is far better than Samson': Virender Sehwag's explosive statement on India stars before RR vs LSG IPL 2023 tie
Legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag has claimed that KL Rahul is a much better batter than Sanju Samson.
Legendary Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has issued a fresh warning to Sanju Samson and Co. before Rajasthan Royals' (RR) upcoming match against KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Former champions RR ended their winless run against Hardik Pandya and Co. as Samson's men defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) for the first time in the IPL on Sunday.
Champions in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich league, Samson's Rajasthan Royals will meet Lucknow Super Giants in match No.26 of the IPL 2023 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday. While Samson inspired RR to outclass GT in their previous fixture, ex-India vice-captain Rahul has arrived in Jaipur after playing a fighting knock against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2023.
Sharing his views during a discussion on Cricbuzz, legendary India opener Sehwag warned RR that the hosts don't have any threatening fast bowler apart from Trent Boult. "KL Rahul is back in form. He scored runs in the previous match. Yes, his strike rate may not have met people's expectations, but his form is a great sign. Rajasthan doesn't have any other fast bowler apart from Trent Boult who has express pace or is very dangerous. They do have dangerous spinners, but if KL Rahul bats for long, he will surely take them apart," Sehwag said.
Sehwag also claimed that Rahul is a much better batter than Samson across formats. "If you talk about establishing yourself in the Indian team, I believe KL Rahul is far better than Sanju Samson. He has played Test matches and scored hundreds in many countries. He has performed well in ODIs, both as an opener and in the middle order, and has also scored runs in T20 cricket," Sehwag added.
LSG opener Rahul smashed 74 off 56 balls although his batting heroics went in vain as Lucknow Super Giants suffered a 2-wicket defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings. Power-hitter Samson scored 60 off 32 balls in RR's 3-wicket win over GT in the rematch of the IPL 2022 final. Samson has scored 157 runs for Rajasthan while LSG skipper Rahul has amassed 155 runs in the first five matches of the new season.
