Ahead of the second T20 against England, Cheteshwar Pujara has spoken candidly about the growing debate over India's top order. He believes that despite the rising clamour to hand young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi a place in the playing eleven, Sanju Samson should not be dropped to make room for him. According to Pujara, the constant speculation and chatter around Samson's spot in the side is entirely unnecessary, and the wicketkeeper batsman deserves a long run in the team. His comments come at a time when the question dominating discussions is exactly who should make way for the emerging young talent.
Pujara backs Sanju Samson strongly
Speaking to JioStar, Cheteshwar Pujara threw his weight firmly behind Sanju Samson. He said India should continue with Samson and that no kind of pressure should be put on him. Pujara pointed out that Samson has already proved himself at the T20 World Cup, and given the extraordinary talent he possesses, he fully deserves his place in the playing eleven. He added that the noise around dropping Samson from the side is completely misplaced. In Pujara's words, Samson is an outstanding, high quality player who should keep getting consistent opportunities to show his ability. Pujara advised that Samson should focus purely on his natural game without carrying any mental pressure, and should avoid overthinking his situation. He suggested that once freed from unnecessary pressure, Samson's true ability would show up on the field.
Give Vaibhav a chance, but not by dropping someone
Vaibhav Suryavanshi has grabbed everyone's attention with his impressive performances in recent times, fuelling calls for his inclusion in India's T20 side. Pujara acknowledged that the young batter has earned the right to a place in the team through his performances, but made clear he is not in favour of disturbing India's currently established top order to accommodate him. Sharing his own formula, Pujara said Sanju Samson should be rested, not dropped. According to him, if Vaibhav has to be brought into the side, it should be done by resting a senior player rather than dropping anyone outright. Pujara said giving a young player a chance is a good thing, but it would not be right for any one of India's top three batsmen, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma or Ishan Kishan, to be benched for it. He expressed confidence that Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a terrific talent and that his time will come soon enough, so there is no need to rush things right now. Pujara's overall argument rests on the idea that team management needs to be patient and find a way to accommodate both the established players and the emerging talent together, rather than choosing one over the other in haste.
