Congress leader and three-time MP Shashi Tharoor said that he helped cricketer Sanju Samson when he faced attendance issues for his school exams.
Tharoor, who is the Congress party's Lok Sabha candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, told Moneycontrol: "I have a soft corner for one team, captained by a young boy whom I encouraged since the age of 14, in Thiruvananthapuram. None other than Sanju Samson. I first saw him play at the age of 14 in a club game, and since then, I have supported him at every stage of his career, including helping him when he didn't have enough attendance for his high school exams".
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With six victories in seven matches, Rajasthan Royals, captained by Samson, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, currently lead the table in the ongoing IPL season.
"I have rooted for him and backed him all the way. I'm just absolutely delighted that he's captaining Rajasthan Royals, especially as they're having a very good season this year. So, I'm rooting for him and his team" he said.
Tharoor has publicly endorsed wicketkeeper-batsman Samson on multiple occasions and has expressed his concerns about selectors overlooking him for the national team. Tharoor has also shared pictures on social media several times in the past, wearing the Rajasthan Royals jersey received from the team.
Asked whether he would support an IPL team from Kerala again, Tharoor said, "I did support an IPL team from Kerala, which unfortunately led to unjustified and false accusations against me, even prompting my temporary resignation from the government. As a result, I have decided to refrain from personally involving myself in supporting any particular venture. However, if there is a future tender for teams and somebody bids from Kerala, I will applaud them from the sidelines. But I will not be directly involved".
The controversy over the ownership irregularities of the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL team forced Tharoor to tender his resignation from his position as Union Minister of State for External Affairs in 2010.
Also, read: Shashi Tharoor calls this batsman 'next MS Dhoni': Gautam Gambhir, Sreesanth don’t agree
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