Former Indian batsmen Sanjay Manjrekar they believe Sanju Samson they cannot afford to fail too much with youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings, following India’s disappointing start to the T20I series against Ireland.India, led by a new T20I captain Shreyas Iyerwere defeated by 34-runs in the opening match of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday. The loss has boosted 15-year-old Sooryavanshi’s bid to be handed his international debut in the second and final T20I at the same venue on Sunday.In the series opener, the Indian team management kept the opening champions for the T20 World Cup 2026. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench. Whether the young batsman will get a chance in the next game remains one of the biggest talking points of Sunday’s tournament.Samson, who was named the Player of the Tournament during India’s successful T20 World Cup earlier this year, failed to perform against Ireland. The wicketkeeper-batsman managed just five runs in four matches before being dismissed.Speaking on Sony Sports Network after India’s loss, Manjrekar said Samson and Abhishek Sharma should be alert because of the growing competition for places at the top of the order.“But Sanju Samson has to be careful because Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is breathing down his neck with Abhishek Sharma,” Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.Although he supported Sooryavanshi’s immense talent, Manjrekar felt that the youngster alone could not change the outcome of the opening match. He explained that a difficult chase requires a fierce start and constant motivation, which makes the task difficult regardless of who opens the innings.“I think he would have done what Abhishek did, a little better, maybe. The chase where you had to do everything in the first six overs. You had to carry that power for the other overs as well. So he could have made things a little easier in the chase, but the target became too big, and the conditions were not easy. And you saw in the tri-series in Dambuesren “many times the coming of Six Manjkarn”.The veteran Indian batsman also pointed out that Sooryavanshi faced similar challenges in the three matches at Dambulla, where untying the ropes was always a challenge. While he believes that the youngster has changed the Powerplay era, Manjrekar has confirmed that there is currently no work at the top of India’s batting line-up.“And it was a reminder, and I’m very happy that you know I said that before, that people had an idea about how sixes are not very easy to hit. So Vaibhav could have improved in the first six overs, but he also could have had his work cut out later. I think there is always room,” he said.