The underachiever of earlier IPl seasons, Delhi Daredevils are witnessing a complete turnaround this year and young batsman Sanju Samson (in pic) credits mentor Rahul Dravid for the change in fortunes of the side.
Barring one bad day in office, the Daredevils have enjoyed a near perfect campaign so far in the tournament. After the loss to KKR in their tournament-opener, the Daredevils bounced back strongly.
"Obviously, it's a very young and fresh team. We have lots of youngsters in the team so a mentor like Rahul sir motivates us to perform. It's good to see that we all are doing well under him," Samson said on the eve of their match against Gujarat lions.
In the last match against defending champions Mumbai Indians at the Feroze Shah Kotla here, it was young Samson (60) and JP Duminy (49 not out) who rose to the occasion to take the Daredevils to a challenging 164 for four, a total which they defended by 10 runs.
"I have been playing IPl for the last three years and I think I am getting better as a cricketer every year. Mostly I take my learning and experience from Rahul sir. It's all about learning. It's all about what your team needs from you. If they send me down the order I have to finish the games and if they send me up the order I will have to build the innings and set stage for my team," the young cricketer from Kerala.