Rain has final say in 1st England-India T20 as Sooryavanshi still awaits debut
CHESTER-LE-STREET, UK: Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was once more denied an India debut before rain saw the first Twenty20 international against England at Chester-le-Street abandoned after the tourists’ innings. Spectators at Durham’s headquarters were given a tantalising glimpse of the 15-year-old prodigy as he warmed up on the outfield before play started. But for the third match in a row this tour, following T20 world champions India’s shock 2-0 series loss to Ireland in Belfast, Sooryavanshi was not picked in the staring 11. Sooryavanshi forced his way into the squad for this limited-overs trip following stunning displays in the Indian Premier League, where he emerged as the leading batsman this season with 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals — a tally which included one century and five fifties. It looked like India might regret their decision to do without Sooryavanshi on Wednesday when they slumped to 6-2 after winning the toss. But they recovered to post a total of 189-7, compiled through steady rainfall. Heavier rain came during the interval, bringing the covers on to the ground, with the match called off at 1915 GMT. For England, the weather denied them a chance to move on from a woeful start to their home international season following a Test series loss to New Zealand that ended two days and brought the retirement of red-ball captain Ben Stokes. On Tuesday, England white-ball skipper Harry Brook said he would accept the Test captaincy if offered, believing it is possible to captain in all three international formats simultaneously. On the field, in a repeat of a World Cup semifinal from earlier this year that India won, the tourists India lost Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the second
