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Amid Team India opener Sanju Samson’s poor run of form in recent T20I matches, there has been a growing debate as to whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must replace him in the playing XI. While some experts and fans feel, Sooryavanshi must play ahead of Samson, others have backed the experienced cricketer to retain his place in the team.<\/p>\n
Sooryavanshi<\/a> was named in the Indian squad for the T20I tours of Ireland and England after a sensational IPL 2026 season in which he amassed 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30. India, however, opened with Samson and Abhishek Sharma in the two-match T20I series in Ireland as well as the first T20I in England.<\/p>\n Samson registered scores of 5 and 0 in Ireland and was dismissed for 1 in the first T20I against England in Chester-le-Street. Ahead of the second England vs India T20I in Manchester on Saturday, July 4, let’s take a look at top five expert reactions to the Sooryavanshi-Samson<\/a> selection debate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n South African legend AB de Villiers reckons that the Indian management missed a golden opportunity to hand an international debut to Sooryavanshi during the two-match T20I series in Ireland. He disagreed with Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who had earlier stated that the 15-year-old will have to go through the same process as other players. De Villiers<\/a> said (on his YouTube channel):<\/p>\n “When will he be unleashed? I thought the Ireland series was the perfect opportunity for him to come in and get a feel for international cricket. It was unfortunate that he never got an opportunity. I beg to differ with Ryan ten Doeschate saying Sooryavanshi has to go through the process like any other player. After the IPL he had, it was time to throw him into the deep end, especially against a lower-ranked team like Ireland, to get a bit of experience.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n India<\/a> suffered a shocking 2-0 series defeat against Ireland in Belfast. They lost the first T20I by 34 runs and the second match by one run.<\/p>\n Former India selector Saba Karim has slammed the chatter around Sooryavanshi potentially replacing Samson in the playing XI. Backing the latter, he pointed out that the right-hander was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup and had an impressive IPL 2026<\/a> campaign as well for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Speaking on Star Sports, he commented:<\/p>\n “Sanju Samson is a fabulous player. He has been a match-winner. He had a very good IPL season. Before that, he was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup. What are we looking at? Sanju Samson would be thinking, \u2018Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On Sooryavanshi, the former India keeper-batter added:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a good learning curve. He also gets to understand that to get into this Indian team XI, you have to earn your call-up. This environment will help him to grow as a player and as a human being.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Samson scored 321 runs in five innings in the 2026 T20 World Cup<\/a> at a strike rate of 199.38. In IPL 2026, he notched up 477 runs at a strike rate of 165.62, with the aid of two centuries.<\/p>\n Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar reckons that the team management might be putting additional pressure on Sooryavanshi by delaying his international debut. According to the batting legend, the 15-year-old is likely to feel extra pressure when he gets his opportunity, given all the hype around him. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, the former India captain said:<\/p>\n “It (the delay) will put him under more pressure whenever he gets an opportunity. But at 15 years of age, you don’t think too much about pressure. He knows that if he gets the opportunity in the second or third game, he will have to deliver almost immediately. That’s there. But he is happy to be around. This Indian team is full of lovely, tremendous players, and it is just fantastic for him to be learning from them.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sooryavanshi is set to become the youngest male cricketer to play for India if and when he makes his international debut. The current record is held by Sachin Tendulkar<\/a>, who played his first match for India at the age of 16.<\/p>\n Former India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has thrown his weight behind Samson amid the growing clamor for the Kerala cricketer to be replaced by Sooryavanshi. Karthik pointed that Samson had won the T20 World Cup for India just a few months back and needs to be backed despite his recent low scores. Sharing his thoughts on Cricbuzz, Karthik said: <\/p>\n “Sanju Samson has, once again, had a bit of a failure. Now three innings on the bounce means the calls are coming nice and loud for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but I would still say, Sanju Samson, player of the tournament in the World Cup, he is under pressure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “I know the whole cricketing world is going to be like, ‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, when is he going to get in?’ That is understandable. But I still hope they back someone like Sanju Samson, because, under pressure, in the World Cup, a few months ago, he got the job done, so we have to back him,” he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Samson played only one match for India in the group stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup. He returned for the must-win Super 8 clash against Zimbabwe<\/a> and ended up becoming the Player of the Tournament.<\/p>\n#1 AB de Villiers <\/h2>\n
#2 Saba Karim <\/h2>\n
#3 Sunil Gavaskar <\/h2>\n
#4 Dinesh Karthik <\/h2>\n
#5 Cheteshwar Pujara<\/h2>\n