Manchester, July 4 (IANS) India won the toss and elected to bat against England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. India marked a historic occasion ahead of the game, with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi receiving his maiden T20I cap from Tilak Varma to become the youngest debutant in T20I history.

After a rain-hit opener denied fans a result, both sides will be eager to finally get meaningful game time. Although the contest in Durham never progressed beyond India’s innings, there were enough positives for the visitors to take forward.

Abhishek Sharma continued his fearless approach at the top with another explosive half-century, while Shreyas Iyer settled in with a composed fifty that should give him plenty of confidence heading into the remainder of the series.

India’s team combination also drew attention in the series opener, as they opted for a spin-heavy attack featuring three specialist spinners. Whether they persist with that strategy or strengthen the pace department remains one of the key talking points ahead of the second T20I.

England, meanwhile, have made two changes to their XI. Speedster Jofra Archer returns after sitting out the opening game, while Josh Tongue is set to make his T20I debut, adding another exciting fast-bowling option to the hosts’ attack.

Old Trafford has earned a reputation for producing high-scoring encounters, most notably when England became the first Full Member nation to cross the 300-run mark in a T20I at this venue. However, with overcast skies once again hovering above Manchester and a fresh surface in use, both teams will be waiting to see whether the conditions favour another run-fest or offer something for the bowlers before the toss takes centre stage.

Winning the toss, India skipper Shreyas Iyer said, “We’ll bat first again. We’ve got one change. Vaibhav comes in for Sanju. Absolutely… you’ve seen him in last few months, the way he’s been batting. Not really. I feel that he completely deserves to be in the squad. He’s someone who doesn’t take pressure at all. Has an unflinching nature. He’s very well aware of what’s going to come in these coming matches. The way he bats in the nets and takes on the bowlers, shows what kind of player he is. You see the competition, it’s game after game – the amount of talent India produces is pleasing to the eye. Keeps us on the toes. Pressure is a privilege I feel.”

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Brook said, “Would’ve had a bat as well. Was an awesome day that. Unfortunately we’re not going to be able to do that again unless we chase down 300. Happy with the selections. Joff coming back in – strong player for us. Tongue has been knocking the door down. They’re both very skillful bowlers and have extremely good slower balls. Also the ability to nail the yorkers. Yeah we’ve done a little bit of homework with Vaibhav.”

Playing XIs:

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

–IANS

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