former indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believe Sanzhou Samson After India’s disappointing start in the T20I series against Ireland, young star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is waiting in the wings and India cannot afford too many defeats.India, led by new T20I captain Shreyas IyerThe team suffered a 34-point defeat in the first game of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday. The defeat has heightened calls for 15-year-old Sooryavanshi to make his international debut in the second and final T20I at the same venue on Sunday.India team management retains opening pair of heroes for T20 World Cup 2026 in series opener Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench. Whether the teenage batting prodigy gets a chance in the next game remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of Sunday’s game.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 scored just five runs in four deliveries before being dismissed.Speaking on Sony Sports Network after India’s defeat, Manjrekar said that both Samson and Abhishek Sharma have to stay alert as the competition for the top spots intensifies.“But Sanju Samson needs to be careful because Vaibhav Suryavanshi is tightening his neck and Abhishek Sharma’s neck,” Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.While backing Sooryavanshi’s immense talent, Manjrekar feels the youngster alone cannot change the outcome of the first game. He explained that a tough chase requires explosive starts and sustained momentum and the task will be challenging no matter who opens the overs.“I thought he would do what Abhishek did, maybe a little better. In a chase, you have to do everything in the first six overs. You have to keep the momentum going in the remaining overs as well. So he could have made things a little easier in the chase, but the target got too big and the conditions were not easy. You also saw in the three-series at Dambulla that six-series didn’t come that often for him.The former India batsman also pointed out that Soriyavanshi had gone through a similar challenge in the three-match series at Dambulla where clearing the ropes had been difficult. While Manjrekar believes the youngster could make a difference in the powerplay, he insists there are no gaps in India’s batting order at the moment.“It’s a reminder and I’m glad you know I’ve said it before too, people know why sixes are not that easy to hit. So Vaibhav could have done that in the first six overs but he would have done his job later on as well. To answer your question, I don’t think it will have much of an impact unless you want to move him down the order. In the middle order, there is some place there but at the top, I don’t think there is any place,” he added.
