Harry Brook says England have prepared strategies to contain the 15-year-old batting prodigy ahead of the opening T20I as India weigh a historic debut.
England have formulated specific plans to counter teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as uncertainty continues over whether the 15-year-old will make his senior international debut in the opening T20I against England on Wednesday.
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India begin their five-match T20I series against England amid growing anticipation surrounding Sooryavanshi, whose remarkable performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have made him one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the world. Calls for his inclusion have intensified after India suffered back-to-back defeats against Ireland in the lead-up to the series.
Ahead of the opening match, videos circulating on social media showed the young left-hander looking confident during practice sessions, where he faced India’s pace attack, including Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh.
Despite the uncertainty over his selection, England have already devised strategies to deal with the teenager. Speaking on the eve of the series opener, England batter Harry Brook revealed that the hosts have spent considerable time studying Sooryavanshi’s game.
“We’ve got our tactics and hopefully they work,” Brook said when asked about the possibility of facing the young opener.
“There’s been a lot of digging behind the scenes to see what we can do to try and stop them from playing their best cricket,” he added.
Sooryavanshi enters the series on the back of an extraordinary IPL campaign, where he emerged as the tournament’s highest run-scorer. The teenage opener amassed 776 runs at a stunning strike rate of over 230, earning both the Most Valuable Player and Emerging Player awards.
If India hand him his maiden international cap during the England tour, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest player to represent India in international cricket, surpassing the long-standing record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut at the age of 16.
With expectations soaring and England already preparing for the challenge, all eyes will be on the team sheet when India announce their playing XI for the series opener.
