Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes Sanju Samson cannot afford too many setbacks with young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings, after India’s disappointing start to the T20I series against Ireland.India, led by a new T20I captain Shreyas Iyersuffered a 34-run defeat in the opening game of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday. The defeat intensified calls for 15-year-old Sooryavanshi to be handed his international debut in the second and final T20I at the same venue on Sunday.To start the series, the Indian team management has retained the opening pair of T20 heroes of the 2026 World Cup. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench. Whether the teenage batting prodigy will get a chance in the next match remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Sunday’s contest.Samson, who was named player of the tournament during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, failed to make an impact against Ireland. The wicket-keeper batsman managed just five runs off four deliveries before being dismissed.Speaking on Sony Sports Network after India’s defeat, Manjrekar said that both Samson and Abhishek Sharma need to remain alert due to the growing competition for places at the top of the order.“But Sanju Samson has to be careful as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is breathing down his and Abhishek Sharma’s neck,” Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.Despite backing Sooryavanshi’s immense talent, Manjrekar felt that the youngster could not have changed the outcome of the first match on his own. He explained that the tough chase required an explosive start as well as sustained momentum, which made the task challenging regardless of who started the innings.“I think he would have done what Abhishek did, a little better, maybe. A chase where you had to do everything in the first six overs. You had to carry that momentum for the rest of the overs. So he could have made things a little easier in the chase, but the target became too big and the conditions weren’t easy. And you saw in the tri-series in Dambulla, and how sixes didn’t come his way that often,” Manjrekar said.The former India batsman also pointed out that Sooryavanshi experienced similar challenges during the tri-series in Dambulla, where clearing the ropes consistently proved difficult. While he believes the youngster may have made the difference during the Powerplay, Manjrekar maintained that there is currently no vacancy at the top of India’s batting order.“And it was a reminder, and I’m very glad you know I’ve said it before, that people got the idea that sixes are not so easy to hit. So Vaibhav would have done it in the first six overs, but he’d also be out of work later on. And to answer your question, I don’t think it would make that much of a difference unless you want to play him lower down. Middle-order, there’s a place there, but at the top, I don’t think there’s a place,” he added.
