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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to replace Sanju Samson in AFG vs IND 3rd T20I? Shreyas Iyer drops big hint: ‘We want all of them…'
India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I in New Delhi on Tuesday to seal the series with a game to spare.
India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson returned to form in emphatic fashion, smashing a 22-ball 57 in the second T20I against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Tuesday.
His blistering knock helped India chase down a target of 160 in just 14.5 overs, securing a seven-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
However, despite Samson’s match-winning contribution, India captain Shreyas Iyer has indicated that players who have had limited game time could be given an opportunity in the series finale.
While Iyer did not name any player specifically, his comments could open the door for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is yet to feature in the series. If India opts to give the teenager a game in the third T20I, Samson could potentially make way despite his impressive performance in the second match.
“Definitely, we want all of them to get used to the wicket and get some practice, so it will be a good opportunity to give a chance to the guys sitting out,” Iyer said at the post-match press conference.
Iyer was pleased with another comprehensive performance from his side, particularly after India had also beaten Afghanistan by seven wickets in the opening T20I.
“Looking at the last match and coming into this one, we were demanding a comprehensive win, and today was a good one,” he added.
The series win also marked another positive step in Iyer’s stint as India’s T20I captain.
His leadership tenure had begun with consecutive series defeats against Ireland and England, but India subsequently bounced back with a 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe before taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against Afghanistan.
Reflecting on the difficult beginning to his captaincy career, Iyer acknowledged that the early setbacks had been challenging.
“Yes, certainly. It was a tough pill to swallow at the start, but the journey is always going to be a rollercoaster,” he said at the post-match presentation.
“You have to be in equilibrium as much as possible and see to it that you enjoy the moment and not think much about what has happened in the past. I have said it in my previous interviews as well; the more you embrace the situation, the better it gets,” Iyer added.
Sooryavanshi, who made his senior India debut during the T20I series against England in July, has featured in six T20Is so far. The teenager has scored 193 runs at a strike rate of 189.21, including two half-centuries.
The 15-year-old also featured for East Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. East Zone finished runners-up after losing the final to South Zone, with Sooryavanshi scoring 192 runs in five innings at an average of 38.40, including one half-century.
With India already having secured the series, the third T20I could provide an opportunity for the management to rotate the squad and hand game time to players who have yet to feature.
The third and final T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played in New Delhi on Thursday.
PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.