The upcoming T20I series between England and India promises several fascinating contests, but few battles have generated as much excitement as the one involving teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. After taking the cricketing world by storm with his fearless performances over the past two seasons, the young left-hander is expected to face another stern examination against England’s formidable pace attack.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann believes containing Suryavanshi will be one of the biggest challenges for the hosts. While England possess several world-class bowlers, Swann feels only one of them could have a slight advantage over the youngster due to his familiarity with the Indian batter from their time together in the IPL.
Graeme Swann backs one England pacer to challenge Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Speaking to JioStar ahead of the first T20I, Swann admitted that preparing plans against Suryavanshi is far from straightforward. Although the teenager is still relatively new to international cricket, his two IPL campaigns have provided enough footage for England’s analysts and bowlers to study. Among England’s fast bowlers, Swann singled out Jofra Archer as the player most likely to trouble Suryavanshi.
“It’s hard to prepare for a player like Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He is still new to international cricket, but he has already played two IPL seasons. That means there is video footage available. Some of the England bowlers may have bowled to him in the IPL. But the truth is, no one has really had much success against him so far. He has looked almost unplayable. The one bowler who might have a slight advantage is Jofra Archer. He has seen Suryavanshi from the dugout, bowled to him in the nets, and watched him closely. He has probably seen more of him than anyone else,” said Swann.
Having shared the Rajasthan Royals dressing room with the youngster and bowled to him regularly in the nets during the IPL, Archer possesses valuable first-hand knowledge of his game. Swann believes Archer’s understanding of the youngster’s strengths and possible weaknesses, combined with his express pace, could make him England’s biggest weapon.
Suryavanshi set for another major international test
Suryavanshi heads into the England series after a remarkable rise over the past year. The left-handed opener has established himself as one of India’s brightest young talents through fearless strokeplay and remarkable consistency across franchise and international cricket. The upcoming T20I series will provide another opportunity for the youngster to prove himself against one of the strongest pace attacks in world cricket. While Archer’s pace and familiarity with Suryavanshi could make for an intriguing contest, Swann believes the teenager has already shown an impressive ability to adapt against elite bowling attacks.
“Maybe he has spotted a weakness. Maybe he has a plan. And he has the express pace to back it up. But so far, no matter who has bowled to Suryavanshi, no matter how highly rated the bowler, he has always had an answer,” he added.
With two fearless cricketers set to go head-to-head, the Archer-Suryavanshi battle is shaping up to be one of the marquee contests of the upcoming India-England T20I series.
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