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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might have been dismissed early in his debut match in Manchester, scoring only 14 off 10, but the impression he left behind is unmatchable. Within the short-lived knock, the batter hit two maximums, one off Jofra Archer and another off another English pacer, Josh Tongue.
Ahead of the third match of the ongoing T20I series, Josh Tongue faced the media in the pre-match press conference. During the interaction with the journalists, the fast bowler had to deal with a question linked to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Team India is likely to continue with an unchanged opening combination with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Due to playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jofra Archer has experience facing the 15-year-old batting sensation. For Josh Tongue, he was new to him. The seamer had heard a lot about the emerging opener, but faced him for the first time.
As Sanju Samson is not in form and was dropped from the playing eleven in the previous match, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is likely to retain his place in the playing combination in the third match as well. Like the previous match, the England cricket team will enter Trent Bridge with a proper game plan.
"I was under a bit of pressure": Josh Tongue on bowling to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Tongue said that he watched Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting during the IPL 2026 season, so he is well aware of how dangerous the batter can be if he finds the ball in the middle of the blade.
“I'd seen Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bat during the IPL. He's a sensational talent. He hit me for a six, so I was under a bit of pressure, but I stayed focused on my plans and backed my skills,” he told the reporters in the pre-match press conference.
Josh Tongue's fitness remains under the scanner
Like many pacers of the England cricket team, Josh Tongue also has a history of serious injuries. In the past, his career was full of uncertainty because of serious injuries. From there, he bounced back and is now performing against India. Josh Tongue said that he aims to make an impact across all formats.
“I want to be a big impact bowler in every format, in Tests, T20s and 50 overs as well. Obviously I struggled with injuries a few years back, but that’s part of being a fast bowler. I’ve always wanted to play three formats for England,” the pacer said.
He said that back in the day, there were multiple depressing moments for him. But he never opted to give up and continued doing all the required hard work.
“With the injuries I had a few years ago, not knowing if I was still going to be playing cricket, I put a lot of hard work in at the gym, running as well. There were some gloomy days in the gym, where you feel the walls are getting closer and closer, but that’s the hard work you need to put in to make sure you can stay out on the park and keep representing England. I want to play as many games as I can because it’s a privilege,” he added.
