Samson on the right track

"It is good thing to come here and play. The whole world is watching. I had a good domestic season too. I am happy the way things are going. I am improving as a player and also improving my skills," said Samson, who has been praised by the likes of AB de Villiers and Shane Warne.

On the eve of the match against Kolkata, Samson said he hopes to keep the momentum going. "I have batted in almost all positions in the batting line-up. I remember I had opened too for Rajasthan. What matters is the strategy and composition of the playing XI."

Asked about the bigger ground here and his team's plans to tackle the Kolkata spin attack, he said, "We are prepared for that, it is different ground and there has to be change in the game plan. I would be starting from zero.

"Our plans are simple, we would be playing with same plan and energy. Jaipur is our fortress and we wish to continue with the winning streak here. The wicket too is familiar to us." Rajasthan has had a hectic schedule in the tournament, playing back to back games. 

"The schedule for T20 is always hectic but we have to recover quickly, maintaining the spirit and taking rest."

No wonder then that Kohli was unrestrained in his praise of young Samson. "Brilliant," was Kohli's first word. "He's a really talented player, we've seen over the years he's always done well in the T20 tourney. He's got a really good simple game," said the Indian captain.

"He's quite strong at the crease, very balanced. You mentioned 34 off 25, but he got off to a good start and then our bowlers bowled well, but then he kept his shape. He kept hanging in there. Eventually in the end, he was watching the ball well and striking really well. Credit to him, he played a really good innings.