Sanju Samson can't wait to strike a partnership with 13-year-old Suryavanshi at RR

Sanju Samson said he was looking forward to striking a partnership with 13-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi at Rajasthan Royals.

In a chat with cricket great AB de Villiers on YouTube, Sanju said 'decision-makers' at his IPL franchise were determined to sign Suryavanshi from the recent IPL Mega Auction in Jeddah after watching the teenager bat for India U-19 against Australia U-19. Suryavanshi was part of India's Under-19 Asia Cup squad that finished runners-up in Dubai earlier this month.

"I have seen his highlights. All the decision-makers saw him bat in the Under-19 Test match against Australia in Chennai, where he scored a hundred. I think those shots felt like, 'Oh, that is something special, and you need to have that kind of individuals'," Sanju said about the Bihar boy.

The RR captain said the franchise has always nurtured young talents. "For example, there is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who came in as a youngster and is now the rockstar of the Indian cricket team. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel all fall under that line."

Sanju said he is looking forward to meeting Suryavanshi ahead of the next IPL season, which begins in March. "It is exciting to go and meet him and maybe have a good partnership with him in the coming season," Sanju told AB.