Overview
- Malhotra earned the deputy role for the tour beginning September 21, which features three one-dayers and two multi-day matches in Australia.
- On the England U19 trip he scored 233 runs in five Youth ODIs and 277 in two Youth Tests, also contributing three wickets with off-spin.
- He relinquished his opening spot after a reality check from coach Kamalpreet Sandhu and credited a brief mindset cue from VVS Laxman for settling his game.
- To prepare for bouncier pitches he has trained up to 12 hours daily on wet-cement surfaces using plastic and tennis balls, drawing a few bruises but visible gains.
- Teenage teammate Vaibhav Suryavanshi topped the ODI charts with 355 runs including a 143 and attracted fans who drove six hours to meet him in England.