Former India player Cheteshwar Pujara has thrown his weight behind Sanju Samson after the end of the West Indies tour of India, stating that the concept of top-order batters in T20 cricket being consistent is “overrated”.
Pujara said he believes that Samson could bounce back with a single defining innings during the upcoming multi-format tour of New Zealand.
Samson scored 168 runs in five innings against West Indies. He was the second highest run-scorer – fourth overall when both teams are considered – for India in the five-match T20 series, behind skipper Shreyas Iyer.
“Consistency should be there, but for the top order, I think consistency is overrated in T20s,” Pujara said while analysing Samson’s fluctuating returns on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’.
“He is never out of form. The kind of player Sanju Samson has been in the T20 format; his form fluctuates. But it is always a matter of one innings. He plays one good innings, and he is back in form. So, you cannot say that this player is not in form. In the T20 format, you are bound to have failures. Who doesn’t get out in T20s?” he added.
After ending the five-match series against West Indies with a 2-2 stalemate (with the fifth game on Saturday getting washed out after India’s innings), the Men in Blue head to New Zealand for an all-format tour. The tour starts off on Thursday with the T20 format.
What will be interesting is whether teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets a look in. Pujara said it would be difficult to have Samson and Sooryavanshi starting the India innings together.
“Vaibhav playing every game seems a bit difficult in New Zealand because there you need more all-rounders, either a spin all-rounder or a seaming all-rounder. So, there you don’t need a lot of batters, especially in the top order,” he said.
“Either Sanju Samson can open or Vaibhav. I don’t think both can be part of the playing XI in New Zealand conditions. So, Vaibhav will have to wait, but he will get opportunities.”
Pujara said Sooryavanshi could still feature during the series if conditions or player availability create an opening.
“If the spot opens up for him based on conditions or players’ fitness, that’s fine. But both Sanju and Vaibhav cannot be in the playing XI in New Zealand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mumbai cricket stalwart Abhishek Nayar said he understood why Samson’s place in the side continues to be scrutinised.
“Sanju plays with everyone’s emotions because he won’t score runs for two matches, and everyone starts raising questions,” Nayar said.