IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: The hint that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is playing in the first T20I between Team India and England could likely have been thrown. The 15-year-old batting prodigy was seen batting comfortably against the likes of Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna in the nets at Chester-le-Street ahead of the first of the five T20Is on July 1, Wednesday.
IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Play in IND vs ENG 1st T20I?
While the teenage prodigy has been seen batting in the nets against Rana and Krishna, there is no clear indication of him featuring in the XI. With the left-hander not earning a debut in any of the T20Is against Ireland, it sparked backlash among the fans, especially due to the Irishmen registering a stunning 0-2 whitewash over the reigning World T20 champions. With Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma also struggling against Ireland, this could be the best time to hand the youngster his maiden international cap. Shreyas Iyer, the Indian captain, remained coy when asked about Sooryavanshi’s chances of playing on Wednesday as he said in the press conference:
“Every player in India’s playing XI has performed and helped us win the World Cup. Not that only one player has. So, we have to make players secure so that every player is confident, moving forward. The players who were integral to the previous World Cup win have the idea of how to play T20 cricket and they have been the main players of the format. So, it’s crucial to back them.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is smashing everyone in the nets pic.twitter.com/j0wFSsqj3Q
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) June 30, 2026
IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: What could be Team India’s probable playing XI?
If the southpaw debuts, he could open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, meaning Sanju Samson may need to bat at No.3. With Varun Chakravarthy back in the fold, he is likely to replace Prince Yadav in the XI for the series-opener.
India predicted XI:Â Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Iyer remains under significant pressure as his captaincy stint hasn’t got off to a start he had expected. The 31-year-old might have expected to beat Ireland by 2-0 but the Men in Blue suffered a series loss by that margin.
