Sooryavanshi warmed the bench in the first T20I, while Samson managed to score only 5 off 4 balls.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar warned that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma must be careful with their spots, noting that teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is actively pushing for an opening role following his stellar domestic and IPL seasons.
India’s two-match T20I tour of Ireland started with a shock 34-run defeat for the Men in Blue in Belfast on Friday (June 26).
The Indian team management opted to stick with the experienced opening pair of Samson and Abhishek rather than handing a debut to the teenager.
Manjrekar observed that Sooryavanshi’s explosive T20 form means the incumbents cannot afford to slip up. He highlighted the pressure on the openers, specifically noting that Samson needs to be highly watchful as the 15-year-old is "breathing down his neck".
"Sanju Samson needs to be careful because Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is breathing down his and Abhishek Sharma's necks," Manjrekar told Sony Sports in the post-match analysis.
Chasing 183 to win, India's batting collapsed completely despite a fiery half-century by opener Abhishek, who scored 50 runs off just 20 balls. The remainder of the batting order crumbled under pressure, leaving the visitors all out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Samson managed 5 off 4 balls before being dismissed.
Despite the setback, the Indian team management is expected to back Samson and Abhishek for the upcoming games. While Abhishek is the No.1-ranked T20I batter, Samson earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award in India’s T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year.
On the other hand, Sooryavanshi was rewarded with a place in the national side after a remarkable IPL 2026 campaign, where he finished as the Most Valuable Player and Orange Cap winner for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), hammering 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30.
Before travelling to Ireland for his maiden series with the senior national team, Vaibhav represented India A in the one-day tri-nation A series in Sri Lanka. After registering modest scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38 during the round-robin stage, he lit up the final with a knock of 29-ball 94 against Sri Lanka A, including a record 11-ball fifty, paving the way for India A’s title clinching 66-run victory.
While acknowledging Sooryavanshi’s tremendous ball-striking abilities, Manjrekar urged caution regarding international expectations. He emphasized that Belfast surface was far from a batting paradise and the expansive boundary dimensions would have tested the youngster.
"I think he would have done what Abhishek did, slightly better, maybe. A chase where you 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 just too big, and conditions weren't easy. And you saw in the tri-series in Dambulla as well how the sixes weren't coming as often to him," Manjrekar stated.
"And it was a reminder, and I'm very glad that you know I said that earlier as well, that people got an idea as to how sixes are not so easy to hit. So Vaibhav would have managed it in the first six overs, but he also would have had his work cut out later. And to answer your question, I don't think it would have made that much of a difference unless you want to play him down the order. Middle order, there is some place there, but at the top, I don't think there is any place," he remarked.
India will look to square the series when they face Ireland in the second and final T20I on Sunday (June 28).