The debate surrounding India’s opening combination in T20 cricket has intensified following Sanju Samson’s lean run during the tour of Ireland and England, but former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes the wicketkeeper batter deserves continued backing from the team management led by Gautam Gambhir.
Samson, who played a key role in India’s triumph at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, has struggled for runs in recent matches, registering scores of 5, 0 and 1 on the ongoing tour. His poor returns have fuelled calls for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to be handed an immediate opportunity in the national side.
However, Pujara stressed that India should show patience with established performers rather than making hasty changes after a brief dip in form. He maintained that Samson’s talent and previous performances warrant a longer run in the playing XI and that the batter should continue playing his natural game without worrying about outside pressure.
The veteran also supported the idea of introducing Vaibhav into the side but cautioned against doing so by dropping one of India’s established top-order players. According to Pujara, opportunities for the youngster should come through rotation or workload management rather than replacing proven contributors such as Samson, Abhishek Sharma or Ishan Kishan.
Pujara also praised India captain Shreyas Iyer for his composed innings in the rain-affected opening T20I against England in Durham. He credited Iyer for stabilising the innings after early setbacks before accelerating at the right time, describing it as the kind of innings expected from a captain leading from the front.