Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson isn't worried about Yashasvi Jaiswal's current form - he has 1, 29 and 4 in IPL 2025 so far - and is confident the opener will soon return to his dominant best.
"He has been working really hard," Samson said ahead of RR's match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur. "I think he has been attending all the practice sessions. He does tick each and every box, which he has been ticking from last six years."
Jaiswal's ten dismissals in the powerplay are the joint-fourth-highest in the IPL since 2024. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he was caught superbly at point by Abhinav Manohar. Then against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was dismissed looking to hit Moeen Ali out of the ground, while against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he chipped one to mid-off.
"You can see he is batting the most hours in the nets," Samson said. "We've had to wait for many hours for him to get out from the nets. So, he is doing everything possible from his side to score those runs, to win those matches. As we all know, IPL is a very challenging format. As an opener, his game is also attacking. He wants to give us a positive start. He is looking for those boundaries. He is looking for those sixes. In that process, you tend to lose the wickets also.
"I think I would like to see him perform and come up the ranks at the right moment when the team requires him the most. I think I am happy that he is yet to perform. But I know when he performs, he will be winning the games for us as a team. So, he is doing everything fine."
RR currently have one win in three games. Saturday's outing will be Samson's first as captain following a full recovery from a finger injury that limited his participation in the first two weeks of the season as an Impact Player.
When asked about the experience of sitting out and seeing someone else - Riyan Parag - captain while only playing as a batter, Samson admitted he had to "hold myself back".
"Missing out in three games, I was just holding myself back and seeing the games from a different perspective," he said. "So, it was a different experience for me to sit at the dugout and see my friends, my young brothers, playing out there, fighting out there.
"To be honest, I am very happy and excited to be back and to be fully fit, to keep wickets, to play as a normal player. I think I have been really looking forward to it and it feels very exciting."
'No complaints' - Samson on home-advantage debate
Over the past week, a number of players and coaches have touched upon the lack of home advantage this season.
Ajinkya Rahane, the KKR captain, spoke of wanting more turn from the pitches at Eden Gardens, while CSK coach Stephen Fleming has been vocal about not getting any advantage for a few years now. On Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Andy Flower said it wasn't a "typical Chinnaswamy surface" after they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT).
It's with this background that Samson was asked about the importance of home advantage. RR have played two of their three "home" games in Guwahati, and are yet to play in Jaipur, their designated home venue.
"Definitely the home games play a huge role in the conditions we all know, which can be favourable if the toss goes your way," he said. "The morale and the energy of the stadium will definitely help the home team.
"So, yeah, I think Punjab [Kings] is coming back to their home after a long time and they will be also having all their fans supporting them. We really enjoy that challenge and are looking forward to it."
When asked specifically about the comments made by Rahane and others, Samson chose to steer clear of the debate.
"To be very honest, before the IPL, like one month of IPL, I have cut out all my social media," he said. "I have switched off my phone. So I am not aware of things happening in the newspaper or in the media. To be very honest, I think I personally don't have any comments on that.
"Definitely both teams get to play on the same wicket. Both teams get to play in the same conditions. I think it's a game of cricket. Sometimes you score 280, sometimes you score 150. You just have to play smarter and score one run more from the opponent. So, I think that's how I would like to look at this. So, as of now, I don't have any complaints."