The five-match T20I series is slated to get underway on July 1 at Chester-le-Street.
Cheteshwar Pujara believes teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is highly unlikely to play in the first T20I against England. He wants the Indian team management to stick with the established top-order combination that recently won the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The five-match T20I series is slated to get underway on July 1 at Chester-le-Street, with considerable attention on whether the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi will get a chance to showcase his skills in England. However, Pujara does not see any changes happening to the top three batters.
“I don’t see any changes in India’s top three of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan. Both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will be part of the opening XI for sure," Pujara told Star Sports.
Pujara feels Sooryavanshi will eventually get his chance once India began rotating players. “When India rotate their players, Vaibhav Suryavanshi will certainly feature in at least one match," he added.
Samson earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award during India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign. Kishan was also exceptional during the global showpiece, while No. 1 ranked T20I batter Abhishek ended his underwhelming campaign with a blistering fifty in the final against New Zealand.
Pujara also highlighted that Tilak Varma's versatility makes him a major asset for India. He noted while Tilak is perfectly suited to bat in the top three, the left-hander’s recent T20 World Cup success proves he can also anchor the lower middle order at No. 5 and No. 6.
Tilak enters the England T20I series as the newly-minted vice-captain of the Indian T20I squad.
“According to me, Tilak is a batter who can surely bat in the top three, but at the same time, he has shown that he can bat at No. 5 and 6 as well," Pujara remarked.