After the first T20I between India and England failed to see a result due to rain, the second game is also facing a washout threat. The second game of the series is scheduled to take place on Saturday (June 4) at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium in Manchester as both teams aim to take a lead in the five-match series.
However, the forecast makes for grim reading as there are showers expected during the time of the match. The game is set to start at 7:00 PM IST (2:30 PM BST). There is around a 40% chance of rain at the start, which will go upto 60-70% as the afternoon progresses, as per BBC Weather
Manchester Weather Forecast
First T20I Rained Out
The first T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday (July 1) ended in a washout with the series still 0-0. The match was played at the Chester-le-Street Ground in Durham. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first, and India were able to bat for a full 20 overs before rain stopped the game at the innings break.
India posted a total of 189 despite losing Sanju Samson (1 of 7) and Ishan Kishan (0 of 2) in the first two overs. Abhishek Sharma launched a counterattack and made 59 runs in just 24 balls. Shreyas anchored the innings and played a gritty 44-ball 68. Shivam Dube made the difference for the Men in Blue and gave them a quick-fire finish. The two-time T20 World Cup-winner remained unbeaten and made 42 runs in just 21 balls.
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Debut?
If the rain stays away, all eyes will be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi if the 15-year-old is handed his debut cap. It was widely expected that India would rest a few senior players in Ireland and give a chance to the prodigious talent in one of the two games in Belfast. However, they decided against doing that and lost the series 2-0.
If handed a debut, Vaibhav will become India’s youngest international male cricketer by breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record.