Sanju Samson kicks aside MS Dhoni as he names his cricketing idol

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has opened up about his 'all-time cricketing idol' during a recent discussion with the former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his popular chat show “Kutti Stories with Ash” on YouTube.

Almost every modern-day wicketkeeper-batter would take MS Dhoni’s or Adam Gilchrist’s name if they were asked to name their inspiration, but this was not the case with Sanju Samson.

Sanju Samson names Rohit Sharma as his idol

Both Dhoni and Gilchrist have been considered two of the greatest wicketkeeper-batters the game has ever seen. Still, Samson has picked an unfamiliar name in terms of the role he plays in both international and domestic cricket when he talked about his cricketing inspiration.

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Samson left fans and even Ashwin stunned by picking Rohit Sharma as his “all-time cricketing idol” on the former Indian all-rounder's YouTube show “Kutti Stories with Ash”. He was really impressed by Rohit’s calm approach and effortless batting style.

Sanju Samson backs Vaibhav Suryavanshi as a future star

Furthermore, when Ashwin asked him which current player excites him the most to watch, Sanju dropped another unexpected name, and it is none other than the 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He shared the Rajasthan Royals dressing room in IPL 2025 with Samson.

The left-handed opener impressed Samson so much that he believes the young sensation is one to watch for the future. Vaibhav made his IPL debut earlier this year and played seven matches, scoring 252 runs at an average of 36 and an incredible strike rate of over 206.

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Kris Srikkanth backs Sanju Samson as ‘Perfect’ successor to MS Dhoni at CSK

Meanwhile, rumors about Sanju Samson possibly being traded ahead of the next IPL season have been making the headlines for the past few weeks after his disappointing 2025 campaign.

Amid talk linking Samson to the Chennai Super Kings, former India batter Kris Srikkanth felt it could be an ideal way for the franchise to fill the massive shoes of their iconic captain, MS Dhoni.

The former Indian selector and 1983 World Cup winner has praised Samson as a “brilliant player” with strong popularity in Chennai and the best man to replace MS Dhoni. He suggested that Dhoni might play one more season, but he feels Ruturaj Gaikwad should continue as captain.

Ruturaj Gaikwad should be continued as CSK captain: Kris Srikkanth

Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “Dhoni can play this season, maybe not the year after, and then you can have a smooth transition. But I feel if Ruturaj Gaikwad has been given the captaincy, he should be continued with.”

However, Srikkanth said the Rajasthan Royals must try to keep Samson, especially since they started the new mega auction cycle this year with the team built around him. Notably, Samson, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, was one of RR’s main retentions in the IPL 2025 mega auction.