Should Sanju Samson feel pressure about his place in Playing 11? Ex-India player gives Blunt Verdict

Sanju Samson's latest low score has once again raised questions around his place in India's T20I playing XI, but former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes the Kerala star should be given a consistent run rather than being judged after a couple of failures.

Samson struggled to make an impact in the first T20I against the West Indies, adding another low score to a recent run that has not produced the kind of returns expected from the experienced wicketkeeper-batter. With young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting for his opportunity, competition for places in India's T20I batting line-up has also intensified.

However, Pujara believes Samson's credentials and match-winning ability warrant patience from the team management.

"I hope that there is no pressure on him, because there shouldn't be. He has won a World Cup for the Indian team and performed exceptionally well there. He's a quality player. So there shouldn't be any questions around him being part of the playing XI," Pujara said on JioStar.

Pujara stressed that a T20 batter can go through lean patches and said the responsibility lies with the team management to ensure the Kerala player feels secure about his position in the team.

"Yes, you might have one or two bad games, and then if he has that, that's the time when the team management has to step in, give him the right message that, 'You are an important part of this team and will be part of this playing XI, so just go out there, express yourself, play your natural game,'" he added.

Pujara also acknowledged the presence of Sooryavanshi but urged India not to make frequent changes based on a few failures. He backed Samson to rediscover his form if given another opportunity.

The former India batter believes Samson could turn things around quickly in the T20 format, where even established players can experience periods of inconsistency.

Sanju has been amongst the runs, and did pretty well in the Afghanistan series as well. But in the last four innings, he has only managed 29 runs and will be aiming to return to scoring form.