'I would have dropped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi': Sanjay Manjrekar slams teenager after on-field clash
The incident took place earlier this week during the fourth match of the Tri-Nation A Series between India A and Sri Lanka A. Tensions boiled over after Sri Lanka A clinched victory in the Super Over. Television footage showed Sooryavanshi charging towards the Sri Lankan players and shoving Vishen Halambage following the conclusion of the match.
Reports later revealed that Halambage had been sledging the 15-year-old throughout the series. Despite that, Manjrekar maintained that physical confrontations on the cricket field are unacceptable and should carry consequences.
“If I was India A coach or manager I would have left Vaibhav Suryavanshi out for this game v AFG. Only to let him know that’s it’s not OK to get physical on the field. Whatever the provocations,” Manjrekar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The situation escalated when Halambage approached both Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge after Sri Lanka A’s Super Over victory. The confrontation intensified before Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella stepped in and helped calm tempers.
According to Cricbuzz, Halambage had repeatedly targeted Sooryavanshi with verbal remarks during the series. One of the comments directed at the youngster was: “Go home, this is not the IPL.”
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi’s difficult run in the Tri-Nation Series continued in India’s match against Afghanistan A. The left-hander scored 38 off 28 deliveries but once again failed to convert his start into a significant innings. He survived an early dismissal when a catch was not cleanly taken and was handed another reprieve soon after through a dropped chance. However, after finding some rhythm, he eventually gifted his wicket away.
The youngster has yet to register a half-century in the tournament, with scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38 in four outings despite arriving for the series on the back of a sensational IPL 2026 campaign.
Recently, Sooryavanshi earned a place in India’s senior T20I squad for the upcoming series against Ireland and England, becoming the youngest player ever selected for the national team and surpassing a 36-year-old record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar.
The teenager enjoyed a remarkable IPL 2026 season, amassing 776 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 237.31 and collecting multiple individual awards along the way.
