Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has thrown his weight behind an out of form Sanju Samson and has insisted that he should be given a long run. The Kerala keeper-batter has not lived up to the expectations on returning to his usual role as opener for India earlier this year, prompting the Indian management to replace him with Ishan Kishan in the playing XI. Ganguly has said that Samson is a good player who deserves consistent opportunities.

‘Sanju Samson needs to be given longer run’

Speaking to India Today, Ganguly pointed out that it wasn’t long ago when Samson became the only Indian cricketer to score three T20I hundreds in a calendar year. The former Indian captain said that Sanju was a player with immense potential, adding that no player can perform under constant pressure and the threat of being dropped.

“Sanju is a very good player and deserves consistent opportunities. No player can perform under constant pressure where two failures mean being dropped. It’s important to give him a longer run to maintain his form. After all, just over a year ago, he scored three centuries in T20Is. He has immense potential, and I hope he is given the time he deserves

,” Ganguly said.

In the last six matches that he has batted in, the Kerala keeper-batter has registered scores of 22, 6, 24, 0, 6 and 10. After being benched in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the USA, Samson managed to return to the playing XI in the game against Namibia but failed to fire once again. Given that Abhishek Sharma will return in the IND vs PAK clash in Colombo on Sunday, Sanju is once again staring at the possibility of being dropped and warming the bench again.