- By Sunny Daud
- Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:16 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The debate over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's place in India's T20I team continues to grow as the 15-year-old waits for his international debut. Ever since he received his first India call-up, many have been eager to see him in action. While some believe he could have made a difference during India's 0-2 T20I series defeat against Ireland, others feel there is no reason to change the current top order of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
Pujara advised India to back Sanju Samson
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara is among those who believe India should continue backing Sanju Samson. He said the wicketkeeper-batter should remain in the playing XI for the second T20I against England and should not lose his place to make way for Sooryavanshi.
“I think India should persist with Sanju Samson. I don’t think he should be feeling any pressure. He has proved himself in the T20 World Cup and, with the kind of talent he possesses, he should be there in the playing XI."
“There shouldn’t be a lot of noise about dropping Sanju Samson. He is a quality player and should get a longer run. Sanju just needs to bat naturally and not think too much," Pujara said on JioStar.
Pujara also said Sooryavanshi deserves an opportunity, but not by replacing one of India's established top-order batters. Instead, he believes the youngster can be brought into the team if someone is rested.
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“If Vaibhav needs to play, he should play, but not at the expense of dropping someone, rather by resting someone. If you want to give him an opportunity, that is fine. But you shouldn’t be dropping any of India’s top three players, whether it’s Sanju, Abhishek or Ishan Kishan. Having said that, Vaibhav does deserve an opportunity, and his opportunity will come," he mentioned.
Pujara also praised captain Shreyas Iyer for leading from the front in the rain-hit opening T20I against England in Durham. India had lost two early wickets but managed to recover and post a competitive total, thanks to Iyer's composed innings.