'You've to earn': Ex-India cricketer says Sooryavanshi shouldn't replace Samson

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 been one of the most talked-about young players after IPL 2026, where he scored 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals at a strike rate of 237.30 and was named Player of the Tournament.India did not hand him a debut during the Ireland series, where they suffered a 2-0 defeat.Despite that, Karim believes the teenager's time will come.“I have full faith in his ability to score big runs. Not only Indian fans but the entire world is waiting to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play in the same manner that he did in the IPL. I have high hopes for this young lad. Very soon, we will see him in all three formats. I am dead sure about it,” Karim said on JioStar, as quoted by news agency IANS.India and England will play the second T20I on Saturday.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.