Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned India’s decision to leave out Sanju Samson for the second T20I against England, describing the move as “bizarre” even as he hailed teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international debut.
The 15-year-old became the youngest player to represent India in international cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record set in 1989. He scored 14 off just 10 balls on debut, but India went down by four wickets to trail 0-1 in the five-match series after the opening game was washed out.
Manjrekar questions selection
Sooryavanshi’s inclusion came at the expense of Samson, who has endured a lean run with the bat on the ongoing England tour. However, Manjrekar felt the experienced wicketkeeper-batter should not have been sacrificed to accommodate the teenager.
“Great to see Vaibhav in India colours. But what about Samson! Dropped?? Are you kidding me! No, I guess, injured. Let’s hope it’s injury. Or it’s the most bizarre selection.
“Could have easily batted at 3 if you wanted to get Vaibhav in,” Manjrekar posted on X, suggesting India could have reshuffled the batting order to fit both players into the XI.
Different journeys
Samson arrived in England on the back of an outstanding T20 World Cup, where he was named Player of the Tournament after scoring consecutive 89-run knocks in the semi-final and final.
Sooryavanshi, meanwhile, forced his way into the national side after a sensational IPL season in which he scored at a strike rate of more than 230.
While the teenager achieved a historic milestone with his debut, India’s defeat has left them needing a strong response in the remaining matches of the series.
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