‘I would drop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’: Sanjay Manjrekar slams teenager after on-field clash

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (X-Cricbuzz) Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has weighed in on the recent on-field altercation involving teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying he would leave the youngster out of India A’s last match against Afghanistan A as a disciplinary measure.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 claimed victory in the Super Over. Television footage showed Sooryavanshi lunging at the Sri Lankan players and shoving Vishen Halambage after the match ended.Reports later revealed that Halambage had been sledding the 15-year-old throughout the series. Despite this, Manjrekar maintained that physical confrontations on the cricket field were unacceptable and there should be consequences.“If I was the coach or manager of India, I would have left Vaibhav Suryavanshi in this match against AFG. Just to let him know that it is not okay to go physical on the field. Whatever the provocations,” Manjrekar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Posted by Sanjay Manjrekar

The situation escalated when Halambage approached both Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge after Sri Lanka A’s victory in the Super Over. The confrontation intensified before Sri Lanka goalkeeper Niroshan Dickwella stepped in to help calm the mood.

Should Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have been dropped for his altercation on the pitch?

According to Cricbuzz, Halambage 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 meaningful innings. He survived an early dismissal when a catch wasn’t taken cleanly and got another reprieve soon after thanks to a dropped chance. However, after finding some rhythm, he eventually gave his wicket away.The youngster is yet to register a half-century in the tournament, with scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38 in four matches, despite arriving in 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 to be selected for the national team, breaking the 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 several individual accolades.