Pujara urges India to back Samson despite lean run

Pujara says Samson deserves security, not another selection debate

Cheteshwar Pujara has urged India to stand by Sanju Samson as the team prepares for the second T20I against the West Indies in Ranchi. India lead the five-match series 1-0 after an eight-wicket win in Lucknow, where Samson made 11.

The wicketkeeper-batter’s latest score came amid a run of low returns that also included 9, 7 and 2 during India’s recent Asian Games campaign. Pujara argued that a few failures should not prompt questions about Samson’s place in the playing XI.

“There shouldn’t be any questions around him being part of the playing XI,” Pujara told JioHotstar, adding that Samson is a “quality player.”

Pujara said T20 cricket inevitably brings difficult spells and that the team management should reassure a player in that situation, rather than leave him uncertain about his role. He said Samson should be encouraged to express himself and play his natural game.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is among the players waiting for an opportunity, Pujara acknowledged, but he cautioned against making frequent changes. He said Samson could return to form if given another two or three innings.

Abhishek’s dismissal was a shot-selection issue, says Pujara

Pujara also backed Abhishek Sharma after the opener’s dismissal in the first T20I. Abhishek began positively against the seamers but was caught at long-off while trying to attack Roston Chase.

Pujara said the Lucknow pitch offered help to spin and felt Abhishek could have chosen a better option against Chase. He described the dismissal as an off day rather than evidence of a wider problem, noting that the batter had timed the ball well and should not be judged on one innings.

With the turnaround between matches short, Pujara said he expects Abhishek to respond strongly in the second T20I.