Sanjay Manjrekar Critiques Indian Team Management Over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Exclusion

Manjrekar's Concerns About Team Selection

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disappointment with the Indian team management for not including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI for the second T20I against Ireland. Sooryavanshi remained on the sidelines throughout the series, missing the chance to make his debut. Instead, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson opened the innings in both matches. Manjrekar emphasized the need for a player like Sooryavanshi, suggesting that Samson could have been moved down to the third position. He stated, "This decision lacks cricketing sense. I’m not merely supporting Sooryavanshi; India required a solid middle-order batter after the first T20I. The performance of the openers alone isn't sufficient; the following batters must also contribute. This was a critical area where India needed a dedicated batter," during his commentary on the Sony Sports Network.

He further added, "The best way to include Vaibhav would have been to have him open and place Sanju in the middle order. I’m quite dissatisfied with this decision; I would have preferred Vaibhav to open the innings." Abhishek and Samson are expected to continue as openers for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which could mean Sooryavanshi might miss his debut in England if the current openers perform well.

Sooryavanshi, a left-handed batter, earned his spot in the national team following an impressive IPL 2026 season, where he secured the Orange Cap with 776 runs. His stellar performance led to his selection for the T20I squads for the Ireland and England series, as well as the 2026 Asian Games.

Crucial Match for India

The second T20I is a critical match for India, as they aim to bounce back after suffering their first-ever defeat against Ireland in the series opener. A loss in this match would result in the series loss for the Men in Blue. Under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, India had never lost a T20I series. He took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma after the 2024 T20 World Cup and led India to victory in the 2026 tournament. However, he was later removed from captaincy and dropped from the team in the subsequent series. Currently, Shreyas Iyer serves as India's T20I captain.