NEW DELHI: Will 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally don the India jersey today? That is the big question ahead of the first T20I against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, Durham.The youngster was one of the biggest talkers ahead of the five-match series and even captained England Harry Brooks asked about him during the pregame press conference.
England ready with a strategy
Although India have not confirmed whether Sooryavanshi will be part of the playing XI, England have already braced themselves for the possibility of facing the teenage batting sensation.Brook said his team did a lot of homework on the left-handed opener.“We have our tactics and hopefully they will work,” Brook said ahead of the opening game.He added that England studied the Indian players carefully to find ways to silence them.“There was a lot of digging behind the scenes to see what we could do to try and stop them from playing their best cricket,” he added.
A record debut on the cards?
India begin a five-match T20I series against three-time world champions England on Wednesday, with all eyes on whether Sooryavanshi will get his first international title.The teenager earned his first India call-up after a sensational IPL season. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer, scoring 776 runs at an incredible strike rate of over 230. His performances also earned him the Most Valuable Player and Rising Player awards.If Sooryavanshi makes his debut during this series, he will become India’s youngest international debutant, breaking the long-standing record of Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut for India at the age of 16.
