NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Suryavanshi once again drew attention in the second Youth Test between India U-19 and England U-19 at the County Ground in Chelmsford, though his cameo was brief this time.After a promising all-round show in the drawn first Test, the aggressive left-handed opener made headlines on Day 2 with a whirlwind start. Opening the innings with skipper Ayush Mhatre, Suryavanshi smashed 20 off just 14 balls, including one boundary and two towering sixes. However, his T20-style aggression didn’t yield a big score as he was dismissed by Alex Green with India U-19 at 37 — an early setback.Earlier in the day, England U-19 posted a competitive 309 in their first innings, built around a fighting century from Ekansh Singh. Resuming on his overnight score of 66, Singh went on to score a fluent 117 off 155 balls, laced with 14 fours and three sixes. He was the last wicket to fall, caught by Rahul Kumar off Vihaan Malhotra.Singh’s innings was instrumental in pushing England past 300. After his crucial 90-run sixth-wicket stand with captain Thomas Rew (59) on Day 1, he stitched together another 100-run partnership with No. 9 batter James Minto, who contributed 46 off 89 balls with one six and six fours.
Poll
Should Suryavanshi adopt a more conservative batting approach?
India’s bowlers toiled hard on a rain-hit day. Leg-spinner Naman Pushpak was the standout performer, finishing with 4 for 76. He broke the Singh-Minto partnership by dismissing Minto caught and bowled, and also removed Green. Aditya Rawat (2/64) and RS Ambrish (2/56) picked up two wickets each, while Henil Patel (1/56) and Vihaan Malhotra (1/4) chipped in with one apiece.
In reply, India U-19 reached 51 for 1 at stumps, trailing by 258 runs. Mhatre was unbeaten on 20, alongside Malhotra on six. Only 28.3 overs were possible on Day 2 due to overnight and morning rain, followed by multiple interruptions throughout the day. Just 3.1 overs were bowled in the final session before play was called off.Suryavanshi, who impressed in the first Test with 56 off 44 balls and two wickets, will be keen to make a stronger impact in the second innings as the match progresses.
