It has been a good week in international cricket for a pair of wicketkeeper-batters who ply their trade for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Following quickly on the heels of being retained for INR 18 cr and INR 14 cr respectively, Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel are now making the most of the opportunities they have received in the Indian team setup.

Speaking to Times of India, RR’s high-performance director Zubin Bharucha provided an insight into the preparation that went into helping Samson and Jurel polish their games from within the RR camp.

"Jurel went straight from the Test series at home, where he didn't get a game, to Australia. In our preparation we try and cover high variability," explained Bharucha. "Jurel told me that there was 8mm grass on the track at the MCG, but we have been using pitches with 12mm grass in our practice immediately post IPL when Riyan (Parag), Dhruv and Sanju were practising for the Duleep Trophy at the High Performance Centre in Talegaon.”

Jurel put in a strong performance during the match between India A and Australia A at the MCG, scoring 80 and 68 in the two innings while most of the Indian batting struggled against Australia’s stock of seamers. Similarly, Sanju Samson looked to be the Indian batter in the best nick as he scored a century at Kingsmead in the first T20I vs South Africa.

“We had a two-day session with Sanju in Dubai because the ICC Academy's pitches are a little more bouncy, just before he went to South Africa," said Bharucha. Further, he credited RR for being involved in the success of their players beyond the IPL. "RR's investment in these players, they are investing vast sums of money in their development, is phenomenal.”

‘They flew the bowlers and me from India to Dubai for Samson's practice sessions. It says a lot about the franchise's commitment to the cause of the player," explained the coach.

RR keep their strong Indian batting core in IPL 2025

Rajasthan is a franchise which has always been seen as a hotbed for domestic player development through the IPL, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being another major player who has seen success for both the Jaipur franchise and the Indian national team, while also putting faith in Riyan Parag over the course of several years. These four Indian batters, as well as Shimron Hetmyer and experienced pacer Sandeep Sharma, have been retained for the 2025 IPL season by RR.

Samson seems to have hammered home his place in the Indian T20 setup, while Jurel has made a case for himself to be selected in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team on the basis of his batting alone.

Samson and India play the second match of their four-match T20 series against South Africa in Gqeberha tonight.

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