“I think we were found short of options in the middle overs against spin, and I think that’s where we lost the game,” Samson said after the game. “Against left-arm spin, we had three-four right-handers in the middle and the ball was stopping. But we could’ve tried a bit more [options] – reverse-sweep or use of the crease a bit more – and they [SRH] also bowled really well, actually.
“It’s actually very hard to guess – when we can expect dew or not [in Chennai]. So, the wicket started behaving differently in the second innings. The ball started turning a bit and they used the advantage and bowled spin in the middle overs against our right-handers and that’s where they were one-up against us.”
Samson: ‘RR have found some great talent for India’
“All we can do is to put ourselves in positions for playoffs and vying for finals, which we did. I think all the guys through the season played really phenomenal cricket and there was a little bit of fatigue, of course, at the back end. But it doesn’t really matter when you’re in games like this – you’ve got to turn up and perform.”
“To be very honest, we’ve had some brilliant games not only this season, but the last three years have been a great project for our franchise,” Samson said. “We’ve found some really great talent for the country, I think. Riyan Parag coming out of this season and Dhruv Jurel and a lot of them are looking really exciting, not only for RR but for the Indian cricket team.”
Sangakkara: ‘We are just lucky to have Sandeep’
“I think it’s just a case of changing his role. We always knew that a lot of sides used him upfront but with his pace and skill, we identified that he will be very, very effective for us in the middle and at the back end,” Sangakkara said. That’s what we tasked him with.
“We didn’t have the services of Prasidh Krishna again. Navdeep Saini was injured, and he was coming back from a big shoulder injury and came [in] halfway through the season. For two seasons now, Sandeep has been absolutely outstanding for us. He’s just a mature cricketer and he knows exactly what he can do and can’t do, and he sticks to the basics. He tries to swing the new ball and once he’s out of it, he changes his pace and he’s got incredible skill and we’re just lucky to have him.”