New Delhi, Oct 18 Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has defended Sanju Samson’s fluctuating returns in T20 internationals, arguing that occasional failures are part of the format and should not be mistaken for a prolonged loss of form.

With India set to tour New Zealand for a multi-format series, beginning with the T20Is, Pujara also expressed doubts over whether Samson and young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could feature together in the playing XI given the demands of New Zealand conditions.

India head into the upcoming assignment after sharing the five-match T20I series against the West Indies 2-2. Samson's consistency remains a talking point, but Pujara believes the wicketkeeper-batter’s ability to produce a substantial innings makes it premature to question his form.

"He is never out of form. The kind of player Sanju Samson has been in the T20 format; his form fluctuates. But it is always a matter of one innings. He plays one good innings, and he is back in form. So, you cannot say that this player is not in form. In the T20 format, you are bound to have failures. Who doesn’t get out in T20s? Consistency should be there, but for the top order, I think consistency is overrated in T20s,” Pujara told JioStar.

However, Pujara sees a potential selection challenge in accommodating Samson and Sooryavanshi together in New Zealand. He suggested that the conditions could prompt India to prioritise all-rounders, limiting the number of specialist batters required in the top order.

"Vaibhav playing every game seems a bit difficult in New Zealand because there you need more all-rounders, either a spin all-rounder or a seaming all-rounder. So, there you don’t need a lot of batters, especially in the top order. Either Sanju Samson can open or Vaibhav.

"I don’t think both can be part of the playing XI in New Zealand conditions. So, Vaibhav will have to wait, but he will get opportunities. It’s not that he won’t play even one match in the entire series. I am not saying that. If the spot opens up for him based on conditions or players’ fitness, that’s fine. But, both Sanju and Vaibhav cannot be in the playing XI in New Zealand,” he added.

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