Former India player Cheteshwar Pujara believes consistency is overrated for top-order batters in T20 cricket, backing Sanju Samson to bounce back with a single defining innings as the team prepares for its upcoming multi-format tour of New Zealand.
"Consistency should be there, but for the top order, consistency is overrated in T20s," Pujara said while analysing Samson's fluctuating returns on JioHotstar's 'Out or Not Out'.
"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?" he added.
India, who finished their five-match T20I series against the West Indies in a 2-2 draw on Saturday, will begin their multi-format tour of New Zealand with the shortest format.
Pujara also expressed doubts over the possibility of Samson and teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi featuring together in India's playing XI in New Zealand, citing the need for additional all-rounders in conditions that could demand greater balance.