Samson has recorded three single-digit scores in his last four T20I innings.
Ahead of India's second T20I against West Indies in Ranchi, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has thrown his weight behind under-fire wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Pujara emphasized that there shouldn't be any pressure or questions surrounding Samson's spot in the playing XI simply due to a few failures.
Pujara reminded critics that Samson is a World Cup winner who performed exceptionally well on the biggest stage, earning enough credit to withstand a lean patch.
During the series opener against the West Indies in Lucknow, Samson scored only 11 runs. This followed a quiet Asian Games 2026 campaign where he registered single-digit scores of 7 and 2. He was also dismissed cheaply for just 9 runs in one-off T20I against Japan.
"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.
He pointed out that failures are normal in the T20 format while also adding that when a player goes through a difficult phase, the team management must offer total clarity and security.
"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," Pujara added.
While acknowledging that teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is waiting in the wings, Pujara warned against rushing into changes. He noted that Sooryavanshi will get his due opportunities in time, but the top order shouldn't be shuffled abruptly.
"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 remarked.
Commenting on opener Abhishek Sharma's early dismissal against off-spinner Roston Chase in the first T20I, Pujara opined that this particular failure was just a minor setback due to poor shot selection on the day rather than a deep technical flaw.
"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.
(With IANS Inputs)