Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Sanju Samson cannot afford to take his place in India’s T20I playing XI for granted. According to him, young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is putting pressure on both Samson and Abhishek Sharma, and a poor performance could cost either of them their spot.
India’s new T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer, had a disappointing start as his team suffered a 34-run defeat against Ireland in the first match of the two-game series. The loss has increased the demand for Sooryavanshi to make his international debut in the second T20I, which will be played at the same venue on Sunday, June 28.
For the opening match, the team management continued with the T20 World Cup 2026-winning opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, meaning Sooryavanshi had to wait for his first game in Indian colours.
Now, all eyes are on whether the teenage batter will get his chance in the second T20I.
Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament during India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, had a forgettable outing in the first match. He scored only five runs from four balls before getting out. After India’s defeat, Manjrekar said both Samson and Abhishek should stay alert, especially after Sooryavanshi’s outstanding IPL 2026 season, where he scored 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals.
However, Manjrekar also made it clear that he does not believe Sooryavanshi’s presence would have changed the result of the first T20I. He said the opening positions still belong to Samson and Abhishek, and there is no opening available at the top of the batting order right now.