IPL 2021: Sanju Samson pockets coin after toss, here’s how the match referee reacted

Sanju Samson on Monday evening made a case for himself in his first match as a captain in the Indian Premier League. The Rajasthan Royals’ skipper led his side from the front against a confident Punjab Kings and went on to smash the first ton of the season. 

However, Samson’s efforts came in a losing cause, but many pundits lauded the Kerala batsman for showing his resilience on the pitch while chasing a stiff 222-run target as Rajasthan fell short by five runs in the end.  

Apart from the high-octane cricketing action, the clash also witnessed a light moment as Samson decided to keep the coin after the toss as souvenier.  

Sanju Samson keeps coin in pocket after 1st toss as IPL captain as referee looks on.
In pic : The moment
Via @inshorts#win #IPL2021 #toss #RRvsPBKS #PunjabKings #Gayle #Krunalpandya #funniesttweets #MEMES #rr #ramadanmubarak pic.twitter.com/ydurqRzXPk

— Raghav Saluja (@SalujaRaghav) April 12, 2021

“The coin looked really nice so I pocketed it, asked the referee if I can have it, but he said no,” Samson said regarding the incident duringt the post-match presentation ceremony. 

This was Samson’s 107th appearance in the lucrative T20 league and he now stands third on the list of players who have played most number of matches before leading a side in IPL. Here is a list below in this regard: 

137 Kieron Pollard
111 R Ashwin
107 Sanju Samson*
103 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
97 Ajinkya Rahane 

Meanwhile, Samson was also named the Man of the Match for his exploits on Saturday night at Mumbai’s iconic stadium the Wankhede. Batting at a strike-rate of 188.89, the wicketkeeper-batsman went on to score 119 runs from 63 balls, which included 12 fours and 7 sixes.

“I think the second part of the innings was the best I ever played, took my time and respected the bowlers, whereas in the first part I was not timing it very well. I took the singles and got into a rhythm and then I started to play my shots in the second half. I enjoy my shots but I come back to the present after I play those shots. It automatically happens, when I focus on my skills and watch the ball and react. Sometimes I lose my wicket also, so I just play the same way. It’s about trusting my processes to be honest, and I did that, and it came off tonight,” Samson said about his knock.