England have made two changes to their XI for the second T20I against India, bringing in Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer in place of Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood in the pace attack.
Tongue is set to make his T20I debut, while Archer returns to the side. The opening T20I was abandoned due to rain before England could begin their chase. Earlier in the match, Mahmood impressed with figures of 3/33 in four overs, dismissing India’s specialist batters Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma as India posted 189/7. Luke Wood, meanwhile, had a quieter outing, returning figures of 0/35 from three overs.
India are unlikely to make changes despite concerns over the middle order’s recent form. However, there is growing anticipation around teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with many hoping he gets an opportunity.
Speaking ahead of the match, England all-rounder Sam Curran praised the 15-year-old’s rise.
“Well, I guess it’s an incredible story!” All-rounder Sam Curran said of him in the pre-match press conference. “I watched a lot of the IPL from home and it’s just watching a guy who makes it look looks so easy. It’s truly incredible and rightly so, he’s getting the attention he deserves.”
Curran also pointed out that conditions in England present a different challenge from those in India.
“The surfaces here are very different and generally slower. We’ll have our plans against him, but with a player as naturally talented and fearless as he is, you never really know. He’s enjoying his cricket and playing exceptionally well.”
The England all-rounder added that Sooryavanshi’s journey is remarkable regardless of the opposition.
“Playing for India at 15 years old is such a cool story. Even as opposition, you’ve got to admire his skill. But at the end of the day, it’s bat vs ball, me as a bowler, I’ll try and execute my skills.”
England XI for the second T20I vs India
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Josh Tongue