New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajiv Shukla on Sunday congratulated Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on becoming India’s youngest international cricketer.
Shukla said BCCI gives opportunities based on merit, rejecting social media claims that Sooryavanshi was being unfairly overlooked.
He also stressed that he had expected Sooryavanshi to get his chance at the right time and expressed confidence that the youngster would perform well and establish himself in the future.
Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to represent India at 15 years and 99 days across formats, as well as the youngest debutant from a Test-playing nation in T20I history after he was included in India’s playing 11 for the second T20I against England in Manchester on Saturday.
“Huge congratulations to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on his debut and for receiving this opportunity. The BCCI does not treat anyone unfairly; those who deserve it get their chance. There was a lot of uproar on social media claiming that opportunities weren’t being given; people were criticising both the coach and the captain. But that wasn’t the case. I had said just the other day that when the right moment arrived, he would certainly get his chance, and yesterday, he did. I believe he will perform well in the future and truly come into his own. It is an excellent decision by the team management, and we should appreciate it," Shukla told ANI.
Sooryavanshi made an entertaining start to his international career, smashing 14 off 10 balls with two sixes before being stumped off Will Jacks.
Sooryavanshi also broke the long-standing record held by Sachin Tendulkar (Test debut at 16 years 205 days; ODI at 16 years 238 days) and Piyush Chawla (Test debut at 17 years 75 days).
Coming to the second T20, India opted to bat first, and Abhishek Sharma (43 in 24 balls, with eight fours and a six) and Shreyas Iyer (37 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six) played decent knocks. Ishan Kishan (49 in 40 balls, with six fours) put up 65 runs for the third wicket with Iyer.
Following that, India collapsed from 130/2 to 165/6. Tilak Varma (24* in 11 balls, with a four and two sixes) played a quickfire cameo to take India to 190/7 in 20 overs.
Sam Curran (3/33) was England’s best bowler.
In the chase, England lost both their openers, Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, for ducks, their first time ever in T20Is. However, England made a solid enough recovery courtesy of a quickfire knock from skipper Harry Brook (39 in 15 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes), who put on a fifty-run stand with Jacob Bethell.
Bethell put in a 67-run stand for the fourth wicket with Tom Banton (39 in 32 balls, with six fours) before Banton and Will Jacks’ wickets reduced England to 133/5 in 15.2 overs.
Bethell (76* in 46 balls, with five fours and five sixes) changed the course of the game by upping the gears in slog overs, ending the chase in 19 overs with Jofra Archer (10*).
England takes a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with three matches left for India to make an impact. The first T20I ended in a washout. (ANI)
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