Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel have been in excellent form for the Indian cricket team and India A in white-ball and red-ball cricket, respectively.
Samson smashed his second consecutive T20I hundred, the first Indian batter to do so, against South Africa in Durban on Friday while Jurel excelled in the longer format of the game scoring two half-centuries in India A’s unofficial Test match against Australia A.
Rajasthan Royals’ High-Performance Director Zubin Bharucha threw light on the immense contribution made by the franchise and the Rajasthan Royals High-Performance Centre in Talegaon, for the success of the duo on the big stage.
Jurel and Samson, both wicketkeeper-batters, were retained by the Royals for a sum of INR 18 crore and 14 crore, respectively, for the Indian Premier League 2025 season.
"(Rajasthan Royals) are investing vast sums of money in their development - it’s phenomenal,” Bharucha told the Times of India.
Samson scored a 47-ball 111 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in the third T20I last month and followed it up with a 50-ball 107 against the Proteas on Friday. In his last six competitive matches, the Royals captain has scored three centuries, including one for India D against India B in a Duleep Trophy match at Anantapur in September.
"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," Bharucha revealed.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Jurel looked at home in his stint for India A against Australia A at Melbourne. On a track that supported swing and seam bowling, Jurel was the only India A player to cross the 50-run mark in both innings. He scored 80 in the first and 68 in the second to help India A to fighting totals in their six-wicket loss to the home side on Saturday.
"Jurel went straight from the Test series (against New Zealand) at home, where he didn't get a game, to Australia. In our preparation we try and cover high variability," Bharucha said.
"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 Jurel and Sanju Samson were practicing for the Duleep Trophy at the Rajasthan Royals High-Performance Centre in Talegaon," he continued.
"Then as we get closer to IPL we push them onto flatter pitches with 4 to 6mm grass, and create a variety of wicket types to prepare for all opposition.
"There is an inevitable phase that exists for every player between success and failure. What they do in that phase defines the individual and their career.
“Our goal as coaches is to transform that space from the fear of failure into freedom of opportunity for all our players by providing an environment based around the philosophy of high variability and meticulous preparation,” the Royals High-Performance Director concluded.
