'You have to earn': Former India cricketer says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should not replace 'fabulous' Sanju Samson yet
Former India cricketer Saba Karim believes it is too early to see 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a replacement for Sanju Samson in India's T20I team . He backed Samson's recent performances and said the youngster should be allowed to develop without comparisons.
Sooryavanshi has travelled with the Indian squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England but is yet to make his international debut. India have instead continued to back the top-order trio of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, all of whom played important roles in India's 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.
Asked if Sooryavanshi could replace Samson in the playing XI, Karim dismissed the suggestion.
“I don’t think so at this stage. 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, ‘Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'” Karim said on Star Sports, as quoted by News18.
Karim also said staying with the Indian team without immediately getting a game could benefit Sooryavanshi.
“Even for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this 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. Although he has got such an incredible amount of talent, when you get into such a competitive environment, you need to bide your time,” he added.
Sooryavanshi has travelled with the Indian squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England but is yet to make his international debut. India have instead continued to back the top-order trio of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, all of whom played important roles in India's 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.
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Asked if Sooryavanshi could replace Samson in the playing XI, Karim dismissed the suggestion.
“I don’t think so at this stage. 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, ‘Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'” Karim said on Star Sports, as quoted by News18.
Karim also said staying with the Indian team without immediately getting a game could benefit Sooryavanshi.
“Even for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this 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. Although he has got such an incredible amount of talent, when you get into such a competitive environment, you need to bide your time,” he added.
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