Sam Curran has voiced his interest in filling the Test team vacancy left by Ben Stokes, though he stated he is not placing undue pressure on himself to force a return to Test cricket. Curran is named in the England XI to face India in the second T20 international at Old Trafford.
England made two alterations to their squad for the T20 match, bringing in pace bowlers Jofra Archer and debutant Josh Tongue. They replace Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood. Harry Brook, the Test vice-captain, will lead the team once again in this T20 fixture. Brook had previously stated it would be an honor to be considered as a successor to Stokes as Test captain.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old batting prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not yet made his debut for India during their tour of Ireland and England. Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, suggested that Sooryavanshi would remain on the sidelines for the match in Manchester, emphasizing the team's commitment to backing established players. "As a coaching staff, it's only fair to show faith and back your players," Morkel said. "Yes, there's a young man knocking on the door and it's exciting, but it's a good sign that we show that we back the guys."
Curran's inclusion in the England T20 squad is followed by his selection for the three ODIs against India later this month. Zak Crawley, who was part of the England squad for their last ODI series in Sri Lanka in January, has been removed from the 50-over squad. Jacob Bethell is anticipated to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett for the ODI series.
The England squad for the one-day international series against India includes Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, James Coles, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, and Josh Tongue.