Second T20I: Vaughan, Cook join chorus to seek Vaibhav’s debut

The clamour for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international senior debut seems to be growing by the day among the Indian diaspora in England, and at least two former England captains are also party to it. The second of the five-match T20I series against England will be held at the historic Old Trafford at Manchester on Saturday after the first match could not be finished due to rains.

Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast on the eve of the first T20I, Michael Vaughan said: “We must say to the BCCI and the selector, Ajit (Agarkar) how has he not played against Ireland? Our mate, the ‘kid’.’’ Weighing in on the issue, Alastair Cook, the highest run-getter for England in Tests, replied cheekily: “I’m there tomorrow, and I’m driving up as a fan to make sure that the 15-year-old kid plays.’’

The first T20I saw the Men in Blue rustle up a healthy 189 for seven wickets, built largely on half-centuries by skipper Shreyas Iyer and opener Abhishek Sharma before rains prevented the hosts from even starting the chase. However, Sanju Samson — a key architect of India’s T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year — failed for the third innings on the trot on the UK tour.

Vaibhav became the youngest-ever Indian to get a call-up to the Indian team when he was named in the squad for the Ireland and England matches. While the team management has been determined not to fast-track him ahead of the experienced World Cup-winning troika of Samson, Abhishek  and Ishan Kishan, it remains to be seen whether Gautam Gambhir & Co has a change of heart.

However, it is not just Samson who is struggling in this batting order. The highly talented Tilak Varma’s held-back approach in the middle overs is also not helping as he seemed incapable of pushing the scoring rate once slow bowlers come into operation or seamers take pace off their deliveries. In 12 T20I games in 2026, Varma has been able to hit only 12 sixes — which is one per game.

The bowling department is unlikely to see any changes as Old Trafford track offers some grip and wrist spinners have had a good time at the venue. The best figures in any T20I at Old Trafford, incidentally, is held by India’s Kuldeep Yadav, who isn’t a part of this squad.