Former India spinner Maninder Singh termed Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s dismissal on his international debut as a result of nervousness. The former cricketer shared his thoughts after the teenage batsman’s debut appearance for India in the second T20I against England, saying that the youngster looked impressed by the opportunity.
India scored a total of 190 runs after winning the toss at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday, July 4. However, the Harry Brook-led side chased down the target with four wickets to spare to take the lead in the five-match series. Debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 14 runs before being stumped by Will Jacques.
It was a moment of nervousness – Maninder Singh on Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s debut
Maninder Singh said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi should have made his debut in international cricket during the Ireland series. He felt that the young player could have overcome his initial nervousness before facing strong opposition.
Singh told ANI, “Looking at the rhythm he was in, the form he was in, he should have played in Ireland. If these failures had happened in the Ireland series, by the time he came here, he would have understood and his nervousness would have gone away. The way he played his shot, it was not a Vaibhav Suryavanshi shot. It was a nervous shot.”
“There will be nerves. Even big players get nervous and he’s just a 15-year-old kid. He’s playing with men, he’s competing with men,” he said.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to represent India in international cricket at the age of 15. The left-handed opening batsman earned his place after impressive performances in age-group cricket and domestic tournaments.
On debut, he showed his fearless approach by hitting Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue for a six each. He scored 14 runs in 10 balls and made a 50-run partnership with Abhishek Sharma for the first wicket.
Indian cricket fans need to be patient – Maninder Singh
Maninder Singh urged fans to be patient with the teenage batsman. He said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a rare talent who can win matches on his own and has the fearless mentality required to succeed in modern white-ball cricket.
Maninder Singh said, “All Indian cricket fans need to be patient because he is a talented cricketer. He is an impressive player. Whenever he plays, he will make such an impact that he will single-handedly win the match. So I am not too worried. Because he is a brave player and white-ball cricket is a game of the brave today, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is one of them.”
Kishore first grabbed attention by scoring a century in 35 balls against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. He followed that up with a sensational IPL 2026 campaign, scoring 776 runs at a strike rate of over 237, while setting a single-season record with 72 sixes.
Debate sparked by Sanju Samson’s appointment
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s debut came after India dropped wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson from the playing eleven. Samson lost his place due to poor scores during the Ireland and England series.
The batsman scored 5 and 0 in Ireland before scoring just 1 run in the first T20I against England in Durham. However, This decision was criticized by former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar.Who had raised questions on Samson’s ouster after his strong performance in the IPL 2026 season.
Samson scored 477 runs in 14 IPL matches at an average of 43.36 and strike rate of 165.62, which included two centuries. He was also named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after scoring 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37.
India will look to level the five-match series against England in the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Tuesday, July 7.
