Old Indian ship Sanjay Manjrekar I believe Saint Samson cannot afford too many failures with young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings, after India’s disappointing start in the T20I series against Ireland.India, led by new T20I captain Shreyas Iyersuffered a 34-run defeat in the opening match of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday. The loss intensified calls for 15-year-old Sooryavanshi to be given his international debut in the second and final T20I at the same venue on Sunday.For the series opener, the Indian team management has retained the opening pair of T20 World Cup 2026 heroes. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench. Whether the teenage batting prodigy has his opportunity in the next game remains one of the biggest points of discussion ahead of Sunday’s contest.Samson, who was named the Player of the Tournament during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, failed to make an impact against Ireland. The wicketkeeper-batter managed just five runs from four deliveries before being dismissed.Speaking on Sony Sports Network after India’s defeat, Manjrekar said that Samson and Abhishek Sharma will have to be careful because of the increasing competition for places at the top of the order.“But Sanju Samson has to be careful because Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is breathing down his neck and Abhishek Sharma,” Manjrekar said on the Sony Sports Network.Despite the support of Sooryavanshi’s immense talent, Manjrekar felt that the youngster alone could not change the outcome of the opening game. He explained that the difficult chase required an explosive start and sustained momentum, making the task challenging regardless of who opened the innings.“I think he would have done what Abhishek did, a little better, maybe. A chase where he had to do everything in the first six overs. You had to carry that momentum for the rest of the overs as well. So he could have made things a little easier in the chase, but the target became too big, and the conditions were not easy. him,” said Manjrekar.The former India batsman also pointed out that Sooryavanshi had faced similar challenges during the tri-series in Dambulla, where the removal of the strings always proved difficult. While he believes the youngster could have made a 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 happy that you know I said it even before, that people had an idea of ​​how six sixes are not so easy to hit. So Vaibhav would have managed it in the first six overs, but even if he had his work cut out after that. at the top, I don’t think there is a place,” he added.