To outwit bookies, Sanju Samson calls for players to be 'tactful' and 'intelligent'

Sanju Samson, the young wicket-keeper-batsman of Rajasthan Royals, has said that players need to be smart in handling approach from the bookies, instead of merely being honest.

In an interview with India Today , Samson said, “One can easily manage all these advances by the wrong people, but that player needs to be intelligent enough to talk with them in the right way. If you are smart enough in dealing with them and be tactful, then you can never fall prey to all the things that they offer."

Samson, who has been with the Royals for three seasons now, also stressed that off-field gudiance by senior figures is paramount for youngsters in the league. As young and emerging players make for the easiest targets for bookies, the presence of someone of the stature of Rahul Dravid in the dressing room becomes crucial and, according to Samson, the Royals mentor has helped him in dealing with both on-field and off-field issues.

“I think I am one of the luckiest players to have the best batsman in the world (Dravid) to mentor me and tell me what is good and what is wrong. He personally looks after all the juniors in the Royals including me and tells us what to do and what not to do,” he said.

Rahul Dravid, however, has previously gone on record saying that fear of jail time will be the strongest deterrent in stopping players from falling prey to the bookies’ temptations. Dravid was the captain of the Royals team when Santhakumaran Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested on charges of spot-fixing during the 2013 season. He had also said that such incidents lead to unhealthy scenarios in the dressing room where everything is doubted.

Royals co-owner Raj Kundra was adjudged by the Supreme Court earlier this year to have been involved in betting. Even before IPL 8 began, the Indian Express reported that one of the Rajasthan Royals’ players alerted the BCCI’s anti-corruption team after he had been approached by a Ranji teammate with an offer of money to follow a pre-decided pattern of play during the IPL.

Despite being involved in so many IPL controversies, Samson said Rajasthan Royals has been great for his career and that it was a blessing for him to represent them. He said that players should focus on achievements on the cricket field and must have a strong desire to perform well on one of the biggest stages that is the IPL.

You can read the full interview with Sanju Samson here.