'He has won a World Cup for Team India, there shouldn't be any pressure on him': Pujara backs Sanju

New Delhi: Ahead of India's second T20I against the West Indies in Ranchi, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has thrown his weight behind under-fire wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, stating that the team management should not question his position in the playing eleven following a string of low scores.

Samson's recent form remained a talking point during the opening T20I in Lucknow, where he was dismissed for 11. The setback extended a difficult run that included scores of 9, 7, and 2 during his previous Asian Games campaign.

Despite the recent slump, Pujara believes Samson's proven international record warrants unwavering support.

"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 to JioHotstar.

Pujara stressed that managing low scores is an inherent part of the shortest format and urged the team hierarchy to offer backing to the Kerala batter.

"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, to 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."

“And in a T20 format, there'll be some failures in between. But that's the time when you talk to a player, give him the right message. Yes, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is there, he will get his opportunity when the right time comes, but you don't make too many changes. If Sanju plays another two or three innings, I'm sure he will perform exceptionally well," he added.

Addressing opener Abhishek Sharma’s early exit against off-spinner Roston Chase in Lucknow—where India ultimately secured an eight-wicket victory to lead the five-match series 1-0—Pujara framed the dismissal as a temporary lapse in shot selection.

"Abhishek got off to a good start against seamers, but Shai Hope quickly realised that on that Lucknow pitch there was enough assistance for the spinners. Abhishek's record against off-spinners hasn't been great, though he's improved that number significantly.

“But at Lucknow again, it looked like he wasn't in the best frame of mind against spinners. His options, especially against Roston Chase, could have been slightly better. He wanted to hit that ball over covers, but eventually it ended up going to long-off.

“I'm sure he will learn this very quickly, because he's timing the ball well. The turnaround time between the games wasn't ideal, so with one game, you don't judge him too much. It was just one of those off days for him, but in the second T20I, he will be raring to go," he concluded. (IANS)